Israeli Occupation Forces Kill 5 Palestinians in West Bank

Five Palestinians were killed and around 20 others injured when Israeli forces raided a stronghold of a militant group and blew it up in the occupied West Bank.

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The overnight raid in the Kasbah of Nablus, the second largest city in West Bank, was carried out on a hideout of the newly formed armed group calling themselves "the Lions' Den," the Israeli security forces said in a statement.

A large group of Israeli army forces backed by armored vehicles and supported by reconnaissance drones stormed a building in Nablus at predawn. Video footage on social media platforms showed fire and smoke rising from the building and nearby streets.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said the five fatalities were in their 20s and 30s. Another 21 Palestinians were wounded, including four who sustained serious injuries. Besides the five death, another Palestinian was killed during a clash with the Israeli soldiers near the city of Ramallah.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas afterwards held "urgent contacts" in order to stop the Israeli army's military aggression against the northern city.

"The Israeli aggression on the city of Nablus in particular, and all over the West Bank, in general, is a real war crime committed by the Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinian people," the Palestinian Presidency spokesman his spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeinah said.

"The Lions' Den" has been fighting with Israeli forces in recent weeks, and claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on an Israeli solider two weeks ago in the West Bank.

In the aftermath, the Israeli army tightened its control over the occupied Nablus, setting up controls to identify people leaving the city and constantly scanning the skies of the city with observation drones.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid told Israel's state-owned Kan radio that Wadie Houh, a leader of "the Lions' Den," was killed in a shootout with the troops. "Israel will never be deterred from operating to keep its security," he said.

Tension has been mounting between Israel and the Palestinians since March. Since early January, more than 174 Palestinians have been killed by Israel in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, including women and children, according to official Palestinian figures. Meanwhile, more than 20 Israelis have been killed since March.