Palestinian officials said two children were among three people killed in an Israeli air strike on the occupied West Bank on Wednesday which the military said targeted militants.

Ahmad Asaad, governor of the northern West Bank city of Tubas, told AFP that the strike hit nearby Tammun village, killing a 23-year-old man and two children, aged eight and 10, all from the same family.

The Palestinian foreign ministry in Ramallah condemned the deadly strike, accusing Israel of harming civilians “under the pretext” of fighting militants.

The Israeli military said the air force “struck a terrorist cell” in the Tammun area.

The Tubas governor said Israeli forces, which have operated in Tammun in recent days, took the bodies of the three Palestinians killed.

They later handed them back, the Red Crescent said.

The governor identified the dead as Adam Bsharat, 23, Hamza Bsharat, 10, and Reda Bsharat, eight.

He said they were killed in front of their house, which an AFP journalist said was damaged by shrapnel.

Relative Jalal Bsharat said they had been at home when “the Israeli occupation army targeted them”.

He said the strike showed Palestinians are not safe, even in their own homes.