NINE Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces and at least 20 others wounded today during a raid in the West Bank.

The latest surge of violence against Palestinians was the heaviest death toll in years in the occupied territory.

A gun battle broke out when the Israeli military conducted a daytime operation in the Jenin refugee camp that it said had been aimed at preventing an imminent attack on Israelis.

At least one of the dead was identified by Palestinians as a freedom fighter, but it was not clear how many others were affiliated with armed groups.

Israeli violence has intensified this month after the country’s new far-right government took office and pledged to take a hard line against the Palestinians.

Images published by Palestinian media showed the charred exterior walls of a two-storey building and debris scattered in a street.

Jenin Governor Akram Rajoub said that soldiers had prevented emergency workers from evacuating the wounded. He accused the military of firing tear gas into the paediatric ward of a hospital, causing children to choke.

Jenin hospital identified a woman killed in the raid as Magda Obaid.

The Palestinian Health Ministry earlier identified another of the dead as Saeb Azriqi.

A further victim, Izz al-Din Salahat, was said by the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade to have been one of its fighters. The armed group is affiliated with Fatah, the secular political party that controls the Palestinian Authority.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared three days of mourning and ordered flags to fly at half-mast.

Palestinian officials called on foreign government and organisations to speak out, with Mr Rajoub saying: “We ask that the international community help the Palestinians against this extremist right-wing government and protect our citizens.”

In Britain, Palestine Solidarity Campaign director Ben Jamal said: “We condemn Israel’s brutal assault on Palestinians in Jenin today.

“As long as the UK government continues to trade weapons with Israel and as long as banks like Barclays continue to invest in companies supplying weapons, then they remain complicit in Israel’s criminality.”

Friends of al-Aqsa added: “We must all work harder than ever before to stand up against Israeli injustice.”

Nearly 150 Palestinians were killed in the occupied territories last year, making 2022 the deadliest since 2004, according to Israeli human rights group B’Tselem.

Some 29 Palestinians have already been lost their this year.

Israel says that most of the dead were militants, but others not involved in confrontations have also been killed.