RAMALLAH, Palestine

Nine Palestinians, including two teenagers, were shot dead by Israeli forces in the West Bank, bringing the death toll in the occupied territory since Oct. 7 to 77, the Health Ministry said on Thursday.

A ministry statement said a 16-year-old Palestinian was shot in the head in Tulkarm, while a 32-year-old man was shot in the chest in the town of Budrus, west of Ramallah.

A 17-year-old Palestinian also lost his life when he received a bullet in his head in the Dheisheh refugee camp in Bethlehem, it added.

Four Palestinians were also killed in an Israeli military raid in the Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarm, the statement said.

According to witnesses, an Israeli drone struck a site inside the camp.

The new fatalities brought to 77 the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank since Oct. 7.

Tension has escalated across the Palestinian territories amid a massive Israeli air campaign on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Palestinian group Hamas into Israeli border towns.

The conflict in Gaza, under Israeli bombardment and blockade since Oct. 7, began when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air. It said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers.

The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.

Gaza is experiencing a dire humanitarian crisis with no electricity, while water, food, fuel, and medical supplies are running out.

UN chief Antonio Guterres has called for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” to ease the “epic human suffering.”

At least 3,785 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza, while the figure stands at more than 1,400 people in Israel.