ANKARA 

Three Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike on the Tulkarem refugee camp, northern occupied West Bank, on Thursday, the Health Ministry said.

The victims were killed by an Israeli drone attack on a house in the Tulkarem camp.

Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency, identified the three as Imad Shreim, Muawiya Ahmad and Wassim Anbar.

Israeli army started a military operation in the camp earlier in the day, as bulldozers destroyed roads, shops and vehicles in the camp.

Sporadic armed clashes were reported in several areas of the camp, along with detonation of explosive devices.

In separate statements, Palestinian groups including Hamas, Fatah and the Islamic Jihad said their fighters were confronting the Israeli army in Tulkarem.

Over the past few years, Israeli forces have conducted regular raids in the West Bank, which escalated after the war on Gaza last October. Palestinians have also been violently attacked by illegal Israeli settlers.

At least 640 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 5,400 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.

In a landmark opinion on July 19, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land unlawful and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.