According to the Associated Press, Israeli soldiers killed three members of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade in a gunfight in the West Bank on Sunday, raising the total number of Palestinians killed in fighting this year to 80. The outbreak of violence is one of the deadliest in recent years, and it comes as Israel conducts operations in the occupied territory, which it claims are targeting militant networks in response to Palestinian attacks on Israelis last year. There are fears that the killing would spark a third intifada in the region.