Occupied Jerusalem - The Israeli occupation army (IOF) on Thursday murdered three Palestinians in the northern West Bank town of Nablus, hospital sources said.

According to the sources, the three were killed by undercover Israeli soldiers in downtown Nablus shortly after dawn.

An IOF spokesman said the three were affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

The spokesman said the three tried to flee by jumping out of a window in an effort to avoid arrest.

The PFLP said it would avenge the murder of its cadres.

Meanwhile, the IOF continued to carry out daily arrests of Palestinian activists suspected of opposing or resisting the occupation.

Palestinian sources said as many as 14 Palestinians were arrested Wednesday night and Thursday morning throughout the West Bank.

The IOF arrests an average of ten Palestinians per day mainly for the purpose of blackmailing the Palestinian Authority.

The vast bulk of the detainees are interned without charge or trial and often used as political hostages.

Israel currently detains as many as 10,000 Palestinians, many of whom are professionals, including university professors, doctors, students, businesspeople and religious leaders.