Nine Palestinians were killed and 97 people were injured by bullets during an Israeli military raid in Nablus, a city in the northern West Bank, the scene of recurring and deadly clashes, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The Israeli army had indicated shortly before 10:30 a.m. (8:30 a.m. GMT) to carry out an operation in Nablus, without giving further details.

The soldiers remained in this autonomous Palestinian area for about three hours, noted an AFP journalist.

According to the ministry, 97 people were hospitalized with gunshot wounds in different hospitals in Nablus.

According to AFP journalists on the spot, the Israeli forces left the city before 1:30 p.m. (11:30 GMT) after a three-hour incursion into this autonomous Palestinian area.

"Anti-terrorist" operations

An AFP journalist saw Israeli soldiers firing tear gas canisters in the center of Nablus at young Palestinians who threw stones at military vehicles and burned tires.

Israeli forces have been increasing for almost a year what they present as "anti-terrorist" operations in search of "suspects" in the northern West Bank, particularly in the cities of Nablus and Jenin, strongholds of Palestinian armed groups.

The last major Israeli operation in Nablus dates back to October 2022. Six Palestinians were killed there in a raid targeting the armed group Areen al-Oussoud ("The Lion's Lair") based in the city.

In a message posted on Telegram, the movement said it took part in the clashes with Israeli forces and waged "a battle of honor".

The funerals of the six Palestinians are due to take place in the afternoon.

"Urgent Priority"

These latest clashes come against a backdrop of renewed violence since the beginning of the year in the West Bank, Palestinian territory occupied since 1967 by Israel.

Exchanges of fire between armed groups in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli army and a deadly attack in East Jerusalem followed this operation.

"Preventing further violence is an urgent priority," Tor Wennesland, UN mediator for the Middle East, said on Monday.

Since the beginning of the year, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has claimed the lives of 55 Palestinians (including members of armed groups and civilians, including minors), nine Israeli civilians (including three minors) and one Ukrainian woman, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli and Palestinian sources.

With AFP

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