Israeli airstrike in a refugee camp in the West Bank – five killed, according to the Palestinian authorities

Nur Shams is located near Tulkarem in the northwest on the West Bank. The Israeli military IDF confirms that it has carried out an airstrike against a target in the refugee camp.

The IDF says it hit an operations center for a militant group inside the camp, and that Israeli soldiers have blocked exit routes and raided the West Bank following reports of an abduction.

Elsewhere on Monday, a Palestinian was critically injured when he was shot by Israeli settlers raiding the Wadi Rahal area near Bethlehem, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.

The violence in the West Bank has greatly increased in scope since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas in October last year. Israeli forces have stepped up operations against armed militant groups, including Iran-backed Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Thousands of Palestinians have been arrested and at least 637 killed, according to figures from the Palestinian Health Department. Many of them are members of armed groups, while others are youths who threw stones, or other civilians.

At least 30 Israelis, both civilians and soldiers, have been killed by Palestinians in Jerusalem and the West Bank in the same period, figures from the Israeli authorities show.