"Two men, aged 18 and 20, were killed and seven people were wounded, one of them seriously, in Balata" refugee camp in Nablus, the ministry said in a statement.

The official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, said a woman and a child were among the wounded, describing the incident as a "drone strike".

The Israeli army claimed aircraft killed the men who were identified as "a threat" to troops operating in Nablus. 

It said the strike came as the army and police were securing access for Israeli settlers to Joseph's tomb in Nablus during the night.

The West Bank has seen surging violence since the war in Gaza erupted last year. 

At least 627 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by the Israeli army or settlers, according to an AFP count based on official Palestinian data.