Israeli special forces killed at least two Palestinians in a pre-dawn battle in the West Bank on Sunday, Israeli and Palestinian officials said.

Israeli police said in a statement that "several" Palestinians who barricaded inside a home in the West Bank city of Nablus were killed during a massive fire exchange. No Israeli forces were killed or injured, the police said.

According to a statement issued by the Palestinian Red Crescent, at least two Palestinian men were killed and 19 were wounded in the clash. The victims were identified as Aboud Sobh, 29, and Muhammad Al-Azizi, 22.

The Israeli military issued a statement saying troops and special police forces arrived in Nablus to arrest "armed terrorist suspects."

During the raid, "an exchange of fire took place between the armed suspects and Israeli forces," the army said, adding that armed men "hurled explosive devices and rocks and shot at IDF (Israel Defense Forces) soldiers, endangering their lives."

In the apartment of one suspect, weapons including pistols were found, the army said.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid told his cabinet meeting that the suspects had been wanted for a series of shooting attacks, according to a statement released on his behalf.

"We will not sit and wait for Israeli citizens to be attacked," he told the ministers. "We will go out and take the fight to the terrorists wherever they are," he said.

Israeli forces have been carrying out frequent night raids in the West Bank over the past months, as part of operation "Break the Wave" to crack down on suspects involved in a series of deadly attacks in Israeli cities in April and May.

The raids triggered clashes with Palestinians, in which several Palestinians were killed or injured.

Since the beginning of 2022, Palestinian attacks on Israelis cost the lives of 19 people, according to official Israeli figures, while Israeli forces killed at least 60 Palestinians, according to official Palestinian figures.

Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967. About 3 million Palestinians live in the West Bank, and roughly 475,000 Israelis reside in settlements that the international community considers illegal.

(With input from Xinhua)