Tel Aviv, May 21 (IANS/DPA): At least seven people were killed in an Israeli military operation in the northern West Bank city of Jenin, according to Palestinian health authorities.

The Health Ministry in Ramallah on Tuesday said that nine Palestinians were injured, with two of them in critical condition.

The director of a hospital in Jenin told Palestinian television that a doctor had been killed by gunfire on his way to work. According to the Palestinian Education Ministry, a teacher and a pupil were also among the dead.

Extremist Palestinian groups reported that they had engaged in fierce firefights with Israeli special forces in Jenin. According to media reports, they also used explosive devices.

The Israeli army said it conducted an anti-terrorism operation in Jenin. The city is considered a militant stronghold and has faced repeated Israel raids since the outbreak of war in Gaza.

Since October 7, the Palestinian Health Ministry in the occupied West Bank has counted at least 490 Palestinians killed in the territory during Israeli military operations, confrontations, or their own attacks.