RAMALLAH -- At least three Palestinians were killed and more than 20 others injured when an Israeli reconnaissance plane bombed the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank, Palestinian security and medical sources said on Wednesday.

"The bodies of three young men, together with 20 injuries, some in critical conditions, were transferred to the Jenin hospital as a result of an attack by an Israeli reconnaissance plane," Wissam Bakr, director of Jenin Governmental Hospital, told Xinhua.

Palestinian witnesses said that a large number of Israeli forces stormed the city of Jenin, the surroundings of the camp, and the town of Burqin, amid armed clashes with Palestinian militants.

According to locals, a huge explosion was heard resulting from the launch of a missile from an Israeli reconnaissance plane, near the camp cemetery, which led to a number of young men being killed or wounded.

Armed Palestinian factions said that their members clashed with Israeli forces and targeted them with gunfire and homemade explosive devices.

The Israeli military said in a statement that the drone strike was carried out after "armed terrorists" fired and threw explosives at Israeli forces operating in the Jenin refugee camp. No Israeli personnel were injured in the clashes.