RAMALLAH, Palestine

Four Palestinians were killed by Israeli army fire in the West Bank city of Tulkarem, taking the death toll from an ongoing military operation in the area to eight, the Health Ministry said early Wednesday.

A ministry statement said that seven more people were injured, including two seriously, in the offensive.

The Israeli army began a large-scale military operation in Tulkarem late Monday, triggering clashes with angry Palestinian residents, according to witnesses.

An Israeli military statement said an army commander was injured in a roadside bomb explosion in the city on Wednesday.

The army said the commander suffered moderate injuries after his vehicle hit an explosive device in the area.

Over the past few years, the Israeli military has conducted regular raids in the West Bank, which have escalated with the beginning of the war on Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023. Palestinians have also been violently attacked by illegal Israeli settlers.

At least 832 Palestinians have since been killed and over 6,500 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.

The escalation follows a landmark opinion in July by the International Court of Justice that declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land “illegal” and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara