Israeli forces kill 6 Palestinians in Jenin

Israeli forces killed six Palestinians in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin Tuesday, Palestinian health officials reported, and Israel's military said it carried out an operation targeting an explosives-manufacturing facility.

The health ministry said five people were killed in an Israeli operation in the morning, while the sixth was a man who was shot in the thigh and later died after Israeli forces allegedly prevented him from reaching hospital in time.

The ministry added that a 13-year-old boy having a separate medical emergency also died after being prevented from reaching treatment.

An AFP photographer saw Israeli military vehicles entering Jenin refugee camp on Tuesday and a drone flying above.

Israeli forces "continue to storm Jenin camp and ambulance crews are prevented from entering to deal with medical cases without prior coordination", the Palestinian Red Crescent said in a statement Tuesday morning.

Earlier in the day, the Israeli army said it had carried out an operation in Jenin that uncovered "explosive devices planted under roads to attack the security forces", who subsequently seized weapons, ammunition and more explosives.

"In addition, the forces identified and dismantled a ready-to-use explosives manufacturing facility and located underground tunnel shafts and an observation control room," the afternoon statement said.

"This morning, IDF (military) drones identified a terrorist cell hurling explosive devices and firing at the forces. The IAF (air force) targeted the threat and killed a number of the terrorists," it continued, adding that "dozens" of arrests were made and operations were ongoing.

The army did not immediately respond to a separate request for comment regarding the allegations that victims were prevented from accessing treatment.

Jenin residents told AFP that the operation was still under way on Tuesday evening.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.

Jenin city and its refugee camp have seen repeated Israeli raids, with dozens of people killed this year, including militants and children.

The death toll in the West Bank since the start of the current Israel-Hamas war now exceeds the 235 people, most of them Palestinians, killed in a brief Israeli-Palestinian conflict last year.

Israel's war on Gaza has killed more than 18,400 Palestinians, the majority civilians, according to the Gaza ministry of health.