Six people were killed - including two top Hamas operatives - in a shootout between Palestinian security personnel and members of the group's armed wing in Kalkilya early Sunday morning.

The firefight ensued when Palestinian police surrounded a house in the West Bank town in order to arrest Hamas gunmen inside.

Palestinian sources named the two dead Hamas men as Muhammad Yassin and Muhammad a-Saman, saying the former had died after attempting to detonate an explosives belt alongside the policemen.

Three Palestinian police officers and a civilian were also killed in the firefight.

Hamas's Al-Aksa TV reported that the PA men were attempting to arrest a Hamas cell which had been planning to show its solidarity with the residents of the Gaza Strip by staging a demonstration.

According to Hamas, there were six people in the house, including Yassin and a-Saman.

It was unclear whether any of the other members of the cell had been arrested.