United Nations chief Antonio Guterres. AP
Guterres "remains deeply concerned" about the violence, which has reportedly resulted in Palestinian casualties, and "the secretary general urges security forces to exercise maximum restraint and use lethal force only when it is strictly unavoidable to protect life," said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the UN chief.
Israel on Tuesday launched an operation in the occupied West Bank's Jenin that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed aimed to "eradicate terrorism" in the area.
The Palestinian health ministry, based in Ramallah, said the operation had killed 10 people, just days after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect in the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said its first responders treated seven people injured by live ammunition and that Israeli forces were hindering their access to the area.
Israeli NGO B'Tselem accused the Israeli government of using the Gaza ceasefire as "an excuse and opportunity to ratchet up the oppression of West Bank Palestinians".
"This is not what a ceasefire looks like," it said.
Jenin governor Kamal Abu al-Rub told AFP the operation was "an invasion of the (refugee) camp".
"It came quickly, Apache helicopters in the sky and Israeli military vehicles everywhere, and several bulldozers had entered the city " he added.
The spokesman for the Palestinian security forces, Anwar Rajab, said in a statement that Israeli forces had "opened fire on civilians and security forces, resulting in injuries to several civilians and a number of security personnel, one of whom is in critical condition".
Israeli settlers' violence has soared throughout the West Bank since the war in Gaza broke out on October 7, 2023.
Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 848 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war, according to the health ministry.
At least 29 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military raids in the territory over the same period, according to Israeli official figures.
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