
Palestinians walk under a poster after a raid by Israeli soldiers in the Balata camp for Palestinian refugees near Nablus city in the occupied West Bank on May 12, 2024. AFP
An 18-year-old man, Muhammad Medhat Amin Amer, "was killed by bullets from the (Israeli) occupation in the Balata camp" in the territory's north, the Palestinian health ministry said in a late-night statement, adding that nine people were injured, "four of whom are in critical condition".
According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, the raid began on Friday night and triggered violent clashes.
The official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Israeli troops entered the camp from the Awarta checkpoint and "deployed snipers on the rooftops of surrounding buildings".
In a statement on Saturday, the Israeli military said that during the "counterterrorism" operation, "terrorists placed explosives in the area in order to harm (military) soldiers, hurled explosives, molotov cocktails, and rocks and shot fireworks at the forces".
"The forces fired toward the terrorists in order to remove the threat. Hits were identified," the statement said.
An Israeli crackdown on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank escalated following the start of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza on 7 October 2023.
Since then, at least 815 Palestinians have been killed in the territory by Israeli troops or settlers, according to the Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah.
In the same period, Palestinian attacks in the West Bank have killed at least 25 Israelis, according to official Israeli figures.
On Friday, a Palestinian man and his son were shot dead in the Jenin refugee camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian security forces, who accused militants over the latest violence in the territory.
The city of Jenin and its adjacent refugee camp have witnessed frequent clashes between militants and the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority's security forces, triggered by arrests late last year.
On Friday, Mahmud al-Hajj was killed along with his son Qassem, while his daughter was injured "in an incident" in the Jenin camp, according to Anwar Rajab, spokesman for the Palestinian security forces.
"The area where the incident took place is outside the scope of the operational area where the security forces are active within the camp," Rajab said, accusing "lawless individuals" of carrying out the killings.
Attempts by AFP to contact the Hajj family for details about the incident were unsuccessful.
Wisam Bakr, director of the Jenin government hospital, confirmed to AFP that Hajj's body and his injured daughter had been brought to his facility, while Qassem's body was transported to another hospital in Jenin.
Bakr did not disclose details about the circumstances of their deaths.
The Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah and the Palestinian Red Crescent also did not respond to AFP's requests for comment.
Friday's deaths bring the total number of fatalities to 13 since clashes broke out between militants and Palestinian security forces in early December.
The militants in the Jenin refugee camp mainly belong to the so-called Jenin Brigade, which includes Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad members.
Tensions in Jenin, which is also frequently targeted by Israeli military raids, escalated following the recent arrest of several activists and militants by Palestinian security forces.
Jenin is a stronghold of armed Palestinian factions, who view themselves as a more effective resistance to the Israeli occupation, in contrast to the PA, which coordinates security matters with Israel.
The PA has partial administrative control in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967.
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