Several Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank

The Palestinian health ministry reports that five people were killed by Israeli forces in Nur Al Shams refugee camp.

At least nine Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian health ministry, as violence soars amid Israel’s continuing assault on the besieged Gaza Strip.

At least 75 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli troops or settlers in the West Bank since the Gaza war erupted on October 7, according to ministry figures.

The Palestinian health ministry said Israeli forces killed seven Palestinian during raids on the Nur Al Shams refugee camp in the town of Tulkarem on Thursday.

Health officials said one of the victims was a 16-year-old boy.

The Israeli military said in a statement that it was “continuing to operate in the [Nur Al Shams] camp to thwart terror activity”.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said its medics treated 25 people in Nur Shams, the majority for gunshot wounds.

“Ambulances are being detained by occupying forces with injured people inside,” the organisation said in a statement.

Two other Palestinians were killed in separate incidents in the Dheisheh refugee camp and the town of Budrus, the ministry said.

Israeli forces have escalated raids on Palestinian towns and villages and carried out a sweeping campaign of arrests in the occupied West Bank, where Palestinians have held protests in solidarity with Gaza.

Israel began its assault on Gaza after the Palestinian group Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, launched a brutal attack on southern Israel, killing at least 1,400 people and taking more than 200 others captive.

Israel has since imposed a “complete siege” on Gaza, cutting off access to water, food, electricity and fuel for the strip’s 2.3 million inhabitants and relentlessly bombarding the territory. At least 3,785 people have been killed in the assault, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Protests across the West Bank — which grew more intense following reports of an explosion at a hospital in Gaza that Palestinian authorities say killed hundreds of people on Tuesday — have also targeted the Palestinian Authority (PA), which has long faced criticism for its policy of security coordination with Israel.

PA security forces used tear gas and stun grenades to dispel protestors who chanted for the ouster of President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday.

Israeli authorities in the occupied West Bank have arrested more than 600 people since the fighting began. Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem have also warned about increasing harassment by Israeli settlers and security forces.

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Al Jazeera and news agencies