Israelis kill five in W Bank raid

The Israeli military said it went to the refugee camp to make arrests

Five Palestinians have been killed by Israeli troops in clashes in the Balata refugee camp near the West Bank city of Nablus, Palestinian medics said.

Three of those killed were militants of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, who shot at Israeli soldiers during a raid.

Two other young men were shot dead, including one when soldiers opened fire at group of protestors throwing stones.

Eight Palestinians have now been killed in the biggest incursion in the West Bank since the 25 January election.

On Sunday, witnesses said two teenage boys from Nablus were shot dead by the Israeli army while throwing stones at Israeli vehicles.

The army said they shot the teenagers while they were planting explosives.

Raid

On Thursday, dozens of Israeli army vehicles and bulldozers entered Balata after the camp had been sealed off from nearby Nablus.

When one of the armoured vehicles broke down, Palestinian youths began pelting it with stones, witnesses said.

Ibrahim Saidi, 19, was fatally wounded when the soldiers opened fire at the group of youths, witnesses said.

The Israeli army said he had been carrying a bomb.

Later, Naim Abu Saris, 22, was shot dead while on the roof of his home. Israeli soldiers said he was armed.

Witnesses quoted by AFP news agency said Israeli troops also opened fire on Palestinian rescue workers, wounding an ambulance driver and a nurse. The army said it was investigating.

Hamas, the militant group which the parliamentary election strongly condemned the Israeli incursion.

"We urge the international community to live up to its responsibilities and stop this massacre instead of asking our people to stop resisting," said spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri in Gaza.

After its victory, Hamas has been under pressure to renounce the armed struggle and recognise Israel's right to exist.

More than two dozen Palestinians have been arrested in the West Bank since an operation to stop militants planning attacks began on Saturday, the Israeli military says.

The BBC's Matthew Price in Jerusalem says there have been many deaths in the narrow, crowded lanes of Balata, but this week has been one of the worst for some time.