Israeli Strike Hits Tulkarm, Killing Three Palestinians

Palestinians in Tulkarm assessed damage to their homes and streets following an Israeli military operation in the volatile West Bank city.

A drone strike killed three Palestinians, the Palestinian health ministry said.

The strike, in the Tulkarm refugee camp, a crowded city township that houses families of refugees who fled during the 1948 Middle East war, targeted armed militants, the Israeli military said in a statement.

It said troops confronted fighters and dug up roads to uncover improvised explosive devices buried under the tarmac, while residents said gunfire and explosions could be heard throughout the morning.

There was no immediate claim from any of the armed Palestinian factions that the men killed in the drone strike were members.

Clashes in the occupied West Bank have risen sharply since the start of the Gaza war last year as Israeli forces have stepped up operations against armed militant groups including Hamas and the Islamic Jihad.

Thousands of Palestinians have been arrested and at least 637 killed, many of them armed fighters but many others stone-throwing youths or uninvolved civilians.

Israel's military campaign has killed more than 40,000 people in Gaza since October, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Israel says it goes to great lengths to avoid civilian casualties and accuses arch-foe Hamas of using human shields, charges the militants deny.

The war began on Oct. 7 when Hamas gunmen stormed into Israeli communities and military bases, killing around 1,200 people and abducting about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel's military has since leveled swathes of the Palestinian enclave, driving nearly all of its 2.3 million people from their homes, giving rise to deadly hunger.