Two Palestinians killed in Israeli forces’ incursion in West Bank (Update 1)

Israeli forces killed two Palestinians, including a fighter from the Islamist group Hamas, during a raid on a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank early on Sunday, emergency workers and Hamas said.

Israeli forces raided the Nur Shams camp near the city of Tulkarm and a gun battle ensued with Palestinian fighters, medic Najeeb Adeeb said.

The Israeli military said it conducted “counterterrorism activity” in the camp, dismantled an operational command centre and uncovered dozens of explosive devices and bomb-making components.

“During the activity, suspects opened fire and hurled explosive devices at the forces, who responded with live fire. Hits were identified,” the military said in a statement.

Hamas said one of those killed belonged to its armed wing. There was no immediate word on the identity of the other man reported to have been killed.

The military said an Israeli soldier was moderately wounded.

Violence in the West Bank has raged for more than a year, with stepped-up Israeli military raids, increased settler assaults on Palestinian villages and a spate of Palestinian attacks on Israelis.

As day dawned on the Nur Shams camp, residents took stock of the roads, infrastructure and buildings damaged during an operation that witnesses said lasted around six hours.

The military said special engineering vehicles dug up roads in the camp, uncovering a large number of concealed bombs and setting off at least one roadside bomb.

Some 13,519 people are registered in Nur Shams camp with the U.N. agency for refugees, descendants of Palestinians who were forced out or fled their homes during the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation.