Israeli forces kill 2 Palestinians in occupied West Bank during raid on Jenin

Israeli forces killed two Palestinian fighters during an arrest raid Thursday in the occupied West Bank, according to the military and the Islamic Jihad militant group.

The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the men as Naeem Jamal Zubaidi, 27, and Mohammad Ayman Saadi, 26 and said they were killed in the Jenin refugee camp.

The Israeli military claimed Saadi was a prominent member of the Islamic Jihad group while Zubaidi was involved in shooting attacks against Israeli troops. Islamic Jihad said the two men were members.

The military also claimed troops were carrying out an arrest raid and were met by gunfire. The forces responded, and the two men were killed in the exchange of fire.

Israeli attacks on the Islamic Jihad have intensified in recent months, including in the Gaza Strip, where a two-day war by Israel erupted in the summer, killing dozens of Palestinians. The group has a significant presence in Jenin where the Palestinian security forces have less of a foothold, making the area, in the northern occupied West Bank, a focus of Israeli military operations in recent months.

The military has been conducting months of arrest raids that have killed more than 100 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, which in turn prompted a spate of Palestinian attacks against Israelis in the spring that killed 19. The Israeli military claims the raids were meant to dismantle militant networks and thwart future attacks, but the Palestinians say they entrench Israel's open-ended occupation and undermine their own security forces.

The raids have ratcheted up tensions between Israelis and Palestinians, triggering another wave of Palestinian attacks in recent weeks that have killed an additional nine people.

More than 200 Palestinians have been killed by Israel this year, making 2022 the deadliest since 2006.