Israeli forces in a West Bank raid killed nine Palestinians Thursday, officials in the occupied territory said, while the Israeli military said troops traded fire with Islamist militants during a "counterterrorism operation".
The bloodiest day in the West Bank in years erupted during a raid on the crowded refugee camp in the northern city of Jenin, where gunshots rang through the streets and smoke billowed from burning street barricades.
The Palestinian health ministry said the death toll from the clashes rose to nine, including a woman, and that 20 people were wounded before the Israeli forces withdrew mid-morning.
The military said Israeli forces came under fire during a "counterterrorism operation to apprehend an Islamic Jihad terror squad" and shot several enemy combatants.
Since its records began in 2005, the United Nations has never recorded such a high death toll in a single operation in the West Bank.
Palestinian health minister Mai al-Kaila charged that "occupation forces stormed Jenin Government Hospital and intentionally fired tear gas canisters at the paediatric department in the hospital".
The Israeli military denied its forces entered the hospital. "But the activity was not far away from the hospital and it is possible some tear gas entered through an open window," a spokesman said.
Wisam Bakr, director of the Jenin health facility, said Israeli forces fired near the hospital but did not echo the health minister's allegations that the building or paediatric ward were specifically targeted.
- 'Hit in the neck' -
Among those confirmed dead was Majeda Obeid, 61, who lived some metres (yards) from the house targeted by the Israeli forces.
Her daughter, Kefiyat Obeid, told AFP that her mother was shot as she peered out her window at the clashes.
"After she finished her prayers, she stopped for a moment to look and, as she stood up, she was hit in the neck by a bullet and she fell against the wall and then to the floor," the 26-year-old told AFP, as bloodstains soaked into the rug of their home.
The military said the incursion targeted Palestinians from the Islamic Jihad militant group who were allegedly behind attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians and, according to Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, were planning "to conduct a terror attack in Israel".
Three Palestinians were shot in a firefight, while Israeli forces shot a further two "fleeing the scene", an army statement said. Israeli forces also shot a sixth suspect inside a building, and other Palestinians were hit after firing on troops, the army said.
"Claims regarding additional casualties during the exchange of fire are being looked into," it added.
There were no casualties among the Israeli forces, the military said.
Jenin resident Umm Youssef Al-Sawalmi said homes were hit during the raid. "Windows, doors, walls and even the refrigerator, everything was damaged by the bullets" fired by Israeli forces, she told AFP.
Islamic Jihad spokesman Tariq Salmi vowed that "the resistance is everywhere and ready and willing for the next confrontation".
The latest deaths bring the number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank so far this year to 29, including fighters and civilians, most of whom were shot by Israeli forces.
Saleh al-Arouri, deputy leader of Palestinian militant group Hamas which rules Gaza, vowed that Israel "will pay the price for the Jenin massacre".
- 'Bloody massacre' -
The Arab League held "the Israeli government led by (Benjamin) Netanyahu fully responsible for committing the horrific bloody massacre" and called for international action.
The mounting toll follows the deadliest year in the Palestinian territory recorded by the UN.
At least 26 Israelis and 200 Palestinians were killed across Israel and the Palestinian territories in 2022, the majority in the West Bank, according to an AFP tally from official sources.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since the Six-Day War of 1967.
UN peace envoy Tor Wennesland said he was "deeply alarmed and saddened by the continuing cycle of violence in the occupied West Bank".
Thousands flocked to funerals in Jenin, as the Palestinian presidency announced three days of official mourning. It charged that Thursday's raid on Jenin was happening "under international silence".
"This is what encourages the occupation government to commit massacres against our people in full view of the world," said Nabil Abu Rudeinah, spokesman for Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.
Separately on Thursday, the Palestinian health ministry said three seriously wounded Palestinians were admitted to a hospital in Ramallah after being shot by Israeli forces.