Israeli forces killed at least four Palestinians during a raid in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, reports Reuters.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, in a statement, said Israeli forces had mounted an operation against “Hamas terrorists who were about to carry out imminent terrorist attacks”.
He made no mention of casualties and an Israeli military spokesperson had no immediate comment on the raids.
Israeli officials have long voiced concern that Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip, intends to gain strength in the West Bank and challenge its rival, the Western-backed Palestinian Authority (PA).
READ: Israel forces kill Palestinian man in West Bank
The PA Health Ministry said three Palestinians were killed in the West Bank village of Biddu, northwest of Jerusalem. It said another Palestinian was killed in Burqin, a village near the Palestinian city of Jenin.
Reports on Israel’s main radio stations and news websites said that at least four militants were killed in raids on several locations in the West Bank aimed at capturing Hamas members.