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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
World
Asharq Al-Awsat

Six Palestinians Killed in Israeli Raid in West Bank

Israeli soldiers closing entry to Nablus - EPA

Six Palestinians were killed and nearly 20 others injured early Tuesday in sweeping raids by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

The Palestinian health ministry initially reported three dead and 19 wounded, three of them seriously, shot "by Israeli fire in Nablus".

Later statements said that two more Palestinians had died in Nablus, while another Palestinian was also killed in overnight clashes near Ramallah.

The Israeli army confirmed in a joint statement with police and intelligence agencies that they had conducted a large-scale night operation in Nablus, raiding a "hideout apartment... that was used as a headquarters and explosives manufacturing site".

"The site was used by the main operatives of the 'Lion's Den' terrorist group," the statement said, referring to a new group of young Palestinian fighters who have carried out anti-Israeli operations in Nablus in recent weeks, according to AFP.

"During the activity, multiple armed suspects were hit and Palestinian reports indicate that were multiple injuries."

In the aftermath of Nabulsi's death, the Israeli army tightened its grip on the city, setting up controls to identify people leaving and constantly scanning the skies above with observation drones.

After Tuesday's early morning clash, Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas is establishing "urgent contacts in order to stop this aggression against our people", his spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeinah said in a statement.

Violence has surged in recent months in the northern West Bank, Palestinian territory occupied since 1967 by Israel, especially in the areas of Nablus and Jenin.

Since the beginning of the month, more than 20 Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers have been killed, according to an AFP report.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said that Wadih Al Houh, a militant leader of "The Lions' Den", had been among those killed.

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