- This appears to be a major Israeli operation, with at least four Palestinian cities being targeted at the same time—Jenin, Tulkarm, Nablus and Tubas.
- President Mahmoud Abbas has cut short a trip to Saudi Arabia to monitor the situation in the West Bank, according to Palestinian media.
Image: SCREENGRAB
At least nine Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank, in what Israel says is a "counter-terrorism operation."
Earlier, Palestinian officials said at least 11 people had been killed since the Israeli operation began at midnight local time
This appears to be a major Israeli operation, with at least four Palestinian cities being targeted at the same time—Jenin, Tulkarm, Nablus and Tubas
It is believed to be the first time since the second intifada—a major Palestinian uprising from 2000 to 2005—that several Palestinian cities have been targeted simultaneously.
An eerie quiet on Jenin's streets
Lucy Williamson, BBC's Middle East correspondent, reporting from Jenin, said, "I'm just walking up the main street in Jenin, towards the government hospital. It is eerily quiet, there's nobody about—the streets are completely deserted."
She further reveals that there's just the lone wail of an ambulance every now and then heading away from the hospital, as well as the sweet, sickly smell of mangoes left out untended under the hot sun.
"One ambulance has just headed back into the hospital past the line of reporters—and beyond it, the Israeli military vehicles.' she reports.
Palestinian president cuts Saudi Arabia trip short
President Mahmoud Abbas has cut short a trip to Saudi Arabia to monitor the situation in the West Bank, according to Palestinian media.
"Abbas cut short his visit to Saudi Arabia and returned to his homeland on Wednesday to follow up on the latest developments in light of the Israeli aggression on the northern West Bank," Palestinian news agency Wafa reports.
Abbas is the head of the Palestinian Authority, which has limited governance in parts of the occupied West Bank not under full Israeli control.
Israeli forces withdraw from medical centre, Red Crescent says
Earlier, the Red Crescent reported that Israeli soldiers entered a Palestine Red Crescent Society medical facility in the Far'a refugee camp near Tubas, detaining workers and cutting off communication with them.
In an update, the humanitarian organisation says the troops have now withdrawn - alleging they assaulted the centre's director and fired shots inside the building.
The Israeli military is yet to comment on the specific incident, but says it's carrying out "counter-terrorism operations" in the area.
What's the latest?
- At least nine Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces, Palestinian health officials and the Israeli military say. Israeli officials say those killed were "armed terrorists"
- At least four Palestinian cities are being targeted at the same time - Jenin, Tulkarm, Nablus and Tubas
- An Israeli military spokesperson told the Associated Press news agency that "large forces" have entered Jenin
- In Far’a camp near Tubas, medics say ambulances are struggling to reach the wounded after an Israeli drone strike
- Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz said that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have been "operating with full force since last night in the Jenin and Tulkarm refugee camps to dismantle Iranian-Islamic terror infrastructures established there"
- Meanwhile, the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) condemned the Israeli security force's "increasingly military response" in the West Bank