Palestinian gunmen have reportedly trapped 14 Israeli special forces soldiers at a school in the Balata refugee camp in the West Bank today following an Israeli raid.
One of the gunmen, contacted by mobile telephone at the camp near the northern West Bank city of Nablus, said the fighters had the soldiers surrounded.
"We're surrounding them in the school and we have refused all appeals by the Palestinian Authority to release them," the gunman said. "We will not accept any kind of negotiations. Getting in is one thing, getting out is another."
Other sources at the camp said the soldiers were under siege at a United Nations-run secondary school. An Israeli Apache helicopter had fired on the fighters blocking them, wounding one gunman, the source said.
The Israeli army confirmed troops were in the school but denied they were under siege.