Israel: Slain Palestinians were supposed to be arrested

Israeli officials have acknowledged that they had ordered soldiers to arrest the three Palestinians who were shot dead in Nablus last week.

The order for the Duvdevan commando unit clearly stated that the aim of the attack was to capture Adnan Subuh, Raad Sarkaji and Ghassan Abu Sheikh, Israeli sources said.

The Israeli forces received the written order several hours before raiding the occupied West Bank homes of the Palestinian trio.

According to eyewitnesses, the three Palestinian victims were executed on the spot.

Meanwhile, the witnesses also believe that Israeli claims that the victims were involved in the killing of the Rabbi are baseless fabrications.

The victims were members of the Fatah Movement, led by acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas.