Israeli violence in Jenin, Gaza leaves four Palestinians dead

Israeli forces have killed four Palestinians, three during a drone-assisted incursion on Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank and one in besieged Gaza, Palestinian officials said.

Palestine's Health Ministry on Tuesday reported "three martyrs" in Jenin, a stronghold of Palestinian resistance groups, revising an earlier toll of two killed.

The ministry added in the statement that "about 30 people were wounded by occupation [Israeli] fire in Jenin".

The Israeli army confirmed troops were operating in Jenin on Tuesday evening and said a drone struck the camp, without elaborating.

Mahmoud Sadi, Jenin director of the Palestinian Red Crescent, reported the "sound of explosives and shooting" which were impeding rescuers' access to the site of the violence.

Jenin's deputy governor, Kamal Abu al Rub, said the Israeli army had "targeted a house used as a hideout by a wanted Palestinian".

On Tuesday, a Palestinian was killed by "occupation [Israeli] bullets", said the Health Ministry in Gaza, which is governed by Hamas.

Decades-long occupation

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967 and its forces regularly carry out incursions into areas such as Jenin and its adjacent refugee camp which are nominally under the Palestinian Authority's security control.

In July, the army carried out its biggest raid in years on the Jenin camp, in which 13 Palestinians, including children, were killed.

One soldier died during the raid, also by Israeli fire "following an incident of mistaken identification", the army said at the time.

Violence linked to the Israeli occupation of Palestine has surged since early last year, particularly in the West Bank.

At least 300 Palestinians have been killed so far this year in incidents linked to the Israeli occupation.

The bloodshed has also seen 32 Israelis, a Ukrainian and an Italian killed over the same period.