Palestinian health officials said Israeli troops killed seven Palestinians during a raid Tuesday in the West Bank city of Jenin, where the military said it had launched a counterterrorism operation.
The Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah said nine people had been wounded, including two who were in critical condition.
The Israeli military said that troops had launched a "counterterrorism operation in Jenin and they were fighting with armed men", without providing further details.
Palestinian official news agency Wafa reported that among those killed was a surgeon, Usaeed Jabareen, from the Jenin government hospital.
A school teacher and a student were also among the dead, Wafa reported, quoting hospital director Wissam Bakr.
Following the raid, all schools in Jenin and its adjacent refugee camp had been evacuated, Wafa said.
In early afternoon, the streets near the camp were deserted, except for Israeli bulldozers moving debris.
The road between the hospital and the camp had been stripped of its asphalt by Israeli troops looking for concealed bombs. Drones buzzed overhead and sporadic gunfire rang out.
Crowds of mourners including schoolchildren gathered for the funeral of teacher Allam Jaradat.
Jaradat's body, wrapped in the green-coloured flag of militant group Hamas, was kept at a local mosque where mourners offered prayers.
The office of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas condemned the raid in a statement on Wafa, saying Israel was "killing innocent people, doctors, and destroying the infrastructure of Palestinian hospitals, cities and villages."
Jenin has long been a stronghold of Palestinian militant groups and the Israeli army routinely carries out raids into the city and adjacent camp.
The West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has seen a surge in violence for more than a year, but particularly since the Israel-Hamas war erupted on October 7.
At least 512 Palestinians have been killed in the territory by Israeli troops or settlers since the Gaza war broke out, according to Palestinian officials.
Attacks by Palestinians have killed at least 12 Israelis in the West Bank over the same period, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
The Gaza Strip has been gripped by more than seven months of war since Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 35,647 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.
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Palestinian ministry says Israel troops kill 7 in West Bank raid
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21.05.2024
Palestinian health officials said Israeli troops killed seven Palestinians during a raid Tuesday in the West Bank city of Jenin, where the military said it had launched a counterterrorism operation.
The Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah said nine people had been wounded, including two who were in critical condition.
The Israeli military said that troops had launched a "counterterrorism operation in Jenin and they were fighting with armed men", without providing further details.
Palestinian official news agency Wafa reported that among those killed was a surgeon, Usaeed Jabareen, from the Jenin government hospital.
A school teacher and a........
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