Israeli forces have killed a number of armed fighters during a raid on a refugee camp near the occupied West Bank city of Jericho aimed at capturing suspected Hamas militants.
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Five people were killed, governor of Jericho Jihad Abu al-Assal said, in the raid on Monday in Aqbat Jabr refugee camp in southern Jericho and eight were arrested, according to a statement published by official Palestinian news agency WAFA.
The Palestinian health ministry said three people had been wounded, one critically, but gave no details on any dead.
Ismail Haniyeh, leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, appeared to confirm some fatalities in a statement praising the gunmen as "martyred heroes".
The raid came during a period of heightened tensions that have drawn fears of a further escalation in violence and prompted calls for calm on both sides from the United States and international bodies including the United Nations.
Israeli forces have carried out months of raids in the West Bank following a spate of deadly attacks in Israel last year and forces have been put on high alert after a Palestinian gunman shot seven people dead near a synagogue on January 27.
The military said Monday's raid was aimed at capturing a group of militants belonging to Hamas, who it said were barricaded in a house in the camp and were planning further operations following an attempted shooting attack last month on Israelis nearby.
Australian Associated Press
