Israeli soldiers opened fire on Arab rioters north of Beit El on Saturday, wounding four of them, Palestinian Authority (PA) medical sources said.

The shooting happened near the Jalazoun neighborhood, the sources said. Beit El is located in the biblical heartland of Samaria, north of Jerusalem.

An Israeli military spokesman told AFP that troops fired rubber bullets at a group of around 150 Palestinians who were throwing stones at them, but were unable to determine how many demonstrators were wounded.

Also Saturday, three Arabs were arrested by Israeli forces near the security barrier separating the Jewish state from the Gaza.

The three apparently crossed the security fence near Kibbutz Be’eri, not far from Gaza.

Suspecting a terrorist attack, security forces launched a manhunt that included combat helicopters. They were caught by Be’eri’s security team, and taken to interrogation.