Nine Palestinians have been killed and others wounded after an Israeli special forces raid in the northern West Bank city of Jenin.
Israeli military say they killed three members of the Islamic Jihad militant organisation, suspected of planning “multiple major terror attacks” as well as other gunmen in the camp.
An elderly woman was also reported to have been killed and Palestinian officials have accused Israeli forces of using tear gas inside a children’s ward.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has not commented on those claims but said it is investigating the death of the woman. No IDF casualties were reported.
“During the operation to apprehend the terrorists, additional armed suspects opened fire toward the security forces, who responded with live fire,” the IDF said.
Mahmoud Abbas, the chairman of the Palestinian Authority, called for three days of mourning to mark the deaths.
Tor Wennesland, the UN Special Coordinator in Jerusalem, said he was “deeply alarmed and saddened by the continuing cycle of violence”. He urged both sides to “reduce tensions immediately”.
Israeli security forces are said to be on alert for a response from the Gaza Strip after the raid in Jenin on Thursday morning.
Jenin has been a regular flashpoint during months of increasing violence in The West Bank. 29 Palestinians have been killed this month alone, including five children.
The new Israeli government, only a few weeks old, is one of the most right-wing in the country’s history and has already hardened policies towards Palestinians, including the withdrawal of some tax revenues and a pledge to increase settlement building in the occupied territories.
The government has also been challenged by large protests in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem against proposed changes to the judicial system that, were they to go ahead, would see power shift from Judges to elected politicians.
Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, is set to visit Israel and the West Bank next week, and the White House has urged neither side to take any actions that might inflame the fragile situation.
