(Reuters) - Israeli forces killed at least eight Palestinians in raids on Tuesday on a refugee camp near the city of Tulkarm in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Palestinian and Israeli officials said.
Khawla Abdo, a 53-year-old woman, was killed as a result of shelling by Israeli forces at dawn, while Fathi Saeed Odeh Salem, an 18-year-old man, died after being shot in the abdomen and chest, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. Another Palestinian woman died in the afternoon due to sustained injuries from the attack.
Later on Tuesday, the health ministry updated its death toll to eight after a new round of shelling in Tulkarm by Israeli forces.
Hamas’ armed wing al-Qassam Brigades said in a statement that two of its members were killed by Israeli forces in Tulkarm.
The Israeli military said earlier it killed one Palestinian in a “counter-terrorism” operation in Tulkarm, while its forces arrested 18 other wanted individuals and confiscated dozens of weapons.
The Israeli army said early on Wednesday one of its commanders was moderately injured after his vehicle was hit by an explosive device during the operation in the area of Tulkarm.
“The Commander of the Menashe Regional Brigade was moderately injured and was evacuated to receive medical treatment. The rest of the passengers in the vehicle did not get injured,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
Late on Tuesday, the military also said aircraft had struck armed militants in the Nur Shams refugee camp.
Hundreds of Palestinians and dozens of Israelis have been killed in the West Bank since the October 7, 2023.
The official Palestinian news agency WAFA said Israeli forces prevented ambulance crews from reaching Salem by opening fire on them.
Bulldozers also demolished infrastructure in Tulkarm camp, including homes, shops, part of the walls of Al-Salam mosque, which they barricaded off, and part of the camp’s water network, it said.