Palestinian authorities have said that nine Palestinians have been killed in an attack by the Israeli army in occupied West Jordan.

It is the deadliest attack of its kind in many years.

An elderly woman was also allegedly killed in this attack in Jenin city.

The Israeli military says it took the move to prevent a major attack by a "terrorist group" from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

Palestinian Health Minister May al-Kila said the situation in Jenin was "extremely critical" after the attack and that ambulances could not reach many of the injured.

He said that the child ward of a local hospital has also been hit by Israeli tear gas. The Israeli army has not commented on the matter.

A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas described the Israeli attack as a "massacre" carried out under "international silence".

Nabil Abu Rudina said that "due to this, the occupying army has the courage to massacre our people in front of the world."

The Israeli army said three of them opened fire on soldiers and were killed while trying to arrest the militants, while a fourth surrendered and was captured.

The Israeli military has alleged that militants were involved in planning and executing attacks on its civilians and soldiers.

PIJ and Hamas say their fighters targeted the soldiers with gunfire and explosives. In footage released by Palestinian media, gunfire and explosions can be heard.

Tensions have risen in occupied West Jordan in recent times as the Israeli military has stepped up what it calls counter-terrorism operations.

This year, 29 Palestinians, including fighters and civilians, have been killed by Israeli soldiers in occupied West Jordan.

In 2022, 150 Palestinians were killed in the West Area. Almost all were killed by Israeli forces. Among the dead were unarmed civilians, armed fighters and assailants.

On the other hand, more than 30 people, including civilians, police and soldiers, have been killed due to Palestinian attacks targeting Israelis and firing on forces during raids.