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War on Gaza: Israeli forces kill nine Palestinians in West Bank strikes

Five people were killed near Balata refugee camp in Nablus, and four in Tulkarm amid ongoing raid on the city
Children look on as bulldozers remove a destroyed car that was targeted in an Israeli airstrike in which five Palestinians were killed near the occupied West Bank Balata refugee camp, on 17 January 2024 (AFP)
Bulldozers remove a car destroyed in an Israeli air strike in which five Palestinians were killed, near Balata refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, 17 January 2024 (AFP)

Israeli forces killed nine Palestinians in drone strikes in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday morning, as the military carried out a raid in the city of Tulkarm.

The air strike in Tulkarm refugee camp, which comes amid an ongoing military raid in the city, killed four Palestinians in al-Tamam neighbourhood, the Palestinian health ministry said.

The Israeli military prevented ambulances from entering the camp, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society.

"Palestine Red Crescent teams couldn't transport four martyrs from inside Tulkarm camp due to the occupation's bombardment," the group said in a statement.

The attack took place hours after another air attack killed five people near Balata refugee camp in Nablus.

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A large contingent of Israeli forces stormed the city and camp of Tulkarm at dawn on Wednesday. Military vehicles, tanks and bulldozers attacked on three fronts, leading to violent confrontations in the camp.

The military surrounded the camp, blocking all its entrances, and deployed snipers in buildings at the main entrance, as well as in adjacent and surrounding buildings.

Earlier, an Israeli drone targeted a car driving east of Nablus, near Balata camp, killing  five Palestinians, according to the health ministry.

Since the start of Israel's war on Gaza on 7 October, the West Bank has experienced a level of violence not seen since the Second Intifada.

Israeli army raids and attacks by settlers have killed around 360 people in the West Bank, according to the Palestinian health ministry, with 41 Palestinians killed this month alone.

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