At least four Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli army during overnight military raids that led to armed confrontations on Sunday in the Jenin and Jerusalem areas of the occupied West Bank.
Mohammad Hleil, spokesman for the Palestinian health ministry, confirmed to Al Jazeera the killing of three Palestinians from the village of Biddu, northwest Jerusalem, who were identified by their families as Ahmad Zahran, Mahmoud Hmaidan and Zakariya Badwan.
Israeli forces also killed a resident from the village of Burqin, southwest of Jenin city, who was identified as 22-year-old Osama Soboh, Hleil confirmed.
Hleil said there are reports of a fifth Palestinian who was killed, but that they have not received confirmation yet.
According to Israeli media, two Israeli soldiers were “seriously injured” during the armed confrontations, and have been hospitalized.
Hleil told Al Jazeera that the bodies of the three Palestinians from Biddu are in Israeli army custody. The fourth, Osama Soboh, died at the Ibn Sina hospital in Jenin.
According to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, Soboh was killed after Israeli forces raided Burqin and surrounded one of the homes, leading to a gun battle with the army.
Zahran, Hmeidan and Badwan were killed during an armed confrontation with the Israeli army after it raided the town of Beit Anan, near Biddu.
Israeli media said the army raids aimed to arrest “Hamas operatives”.
According to Zahran’s family, Israeli forces had been chasing him for weeks, including with previous army raids on their home, arrests and interrogation of family members, local media reported.
Mother of Ahmad Zahran accused the Palestinian Authority of aiding in the Israeli army arrest operation, saying PA forces had also raided their home recently. “The PA is the one who sent the Israelis to us,” she told local media.
