JENIN REFUGEE CAMP, West Bank (AP) — Israeli forces operating in the occupied West Bank killed at least eight Palestinians, including one confirmed militant, within a 24-hour period, according to Palestinian health officials. This surge in violence comes as a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip enters its third day.

Since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, triggering a devastating war in the Gaza Strip, violence in the West Bank has escalated. Israeli forces have killed dozens of Palestinians and arrested hundreds, while Jewish West Bank settlers have also intensified their attacks.

The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that five Palestinians were killed in the militant stronghold of Jenin, while three others were killed in separate areas of the West Bank since Saturday morning. Among the victims was a teenager from al-Bireh in the central West Bank.

The Israeli military stated that it engaged in a gunbattle during its operation in the Jenin refugee camp, resulting in the deaths of five Palestinians. The operation aimed to apprehend a Palestinian suspected of killing an Israeli father and son at a West Bank car wash earlier this year. The military classified those killed as militants, with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group claiming one of them as a member. The military also mentioned using air power to strike and wound armed Palestinians.

While the reports of other incidents are being investigated by the military, the aftermath in the refugee camp showed debris scattered across the densely populated urban neighborhood, with a large hole in the wall of one house.

According to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, Israeli snipers were observed on rooftops, and military bulldozers caused damage to roads and infrastructure. These reports have yet to be independently verified, although the Israeli military stated that “engineering equipment” was being utilized to uncover explosive devices buried under roads.

Following the Hamas assault, Israel imposed restrictions on the West Bank, closing crossings and checkpoints between Palestinian towns, as part of its efforts to pursue militants.

The recent surge in violence in the West Bank follows over a year of escalating raids, arrests, and deadly Palestinian attacks on Israelis. Even before the Hamas assault, 2023 had already become the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank in over two decades.

Amidst the ongoing conflict, Israel and Hamas agreed to a temporary ceasefire to allow for the entry of more aid into Gaza and the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. The Israeli offensive has resulted in the deaths of over 13,300 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza government, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. The destruction of vast areas in the Gaza Strip has led to approximately 1.7 million Palestinians being displaced from their homes.

In response to last month’s surprise attack by Hamas and other Gaza militants, which claimed the lives of around 1,200 people in Israel and took approximately 240 hostages, Israel launched a ground invasion into Gaza. This led to the deaths of several dozen soldiers.

Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem during the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians consider these territories as part of their future independent state.

Reporting from Tel Aviv, Israel, Jonathan Goldenberg. Associated Press writer Samy Magdy contributed to this report from Cairo.