Israeli forces kill 2 Palestinians at West Bank hospital

Israeli forces shot dead two Palestinian men at a hospital in the West Bank on Wednesday, an official said, the latest in a spate of killings in the occupied territory since the war in Gaza began.

The killings before dawn took place on the compound of the government hospital in Jenin, in the north of the West Bank, the hospital's director, Wissam Bakr, told AFP.

"It is true that shots were fired at a group of young men" near the entrance to the emergency department, "and there were no confrontations or anything," Bakr said.

"Snipers started shooting at them after which the two men entered the emergency department where they were martyred."

Bakr added that four other people were injured in the incident.

Asked about the reported deaths, the Israeli military said soldiers "fired toward armed suspects identified in the area" and that "hits were identified", but did not confirm fatalities.

It described the operation as "counterterrorism activity".

"Soldiers apprehended a wanted suspect, in addition to uncovering and dismantling explosive devices that were planted underneath roads in order to attack the forces," it said.

Jenin has been the focus of repeated Israeli military raids in recent years, which have often led to clashes with Palestinian militants.

In January, Israeli security agents disguised as medics raided the city's Ibn Sina hospital and shot dead three Palestinian militants, who the army said belonged to a "Hamas terrorist cell".

The Jenin refugee camp adjacent to the city is also one of the most crowded and impoverished in the West Bank and has become a hub of militant activity in recent years.

The Ramallah-based Palestinian health ministry says at least 430 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli troops and settlers since the unprecedented attack by Gaza-based Hamas on southern Israel on October 7.

Thousands of others have been arrested.

The Hamas attack resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.

Israel's retaliatory military campaign against Hamas has killed at least 31,272 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.