The violence happened during what Palestinian health officials described as a fierce operation in the Jenin refugee camp, a militant stronghold of the West Bank that has been a focus of nearly a year of Israeli arrest raids.

The conflict spiked this month, with 29 Palestinians killed since the start of the year.

It was not immediately clear how many of those killed on Thursday were affiliated with armed groups.

The fighting came weeks into Israel’s new government, its most right-wing, which has pledged to take a hard line against the Palestinians and ramp up settlement construction on lands the Palestinian seek for their hoped-for state.

It also comes days before US secretary of state Antony Blinken is set to arrive in the region and push for steps that might improve daily life for the Palestinians.

The Israeli military said it was conducting an operation to arrest a militant grouping linked to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which has a major foothold in the camp.

A gun battle erupted, during which the military said it was targeting militants involved in planning and carrying out attacks on Israelis.

At least one of the dead was identified by Palestinians as a militant.

Palestinian health minister May Al-Kaila said paramedics were struggling to reach the wounded amid the fighting.

She also accused the military of firing tear gas at the paediatric ward of a hospital, causing children to choke.

The military had no immediate comment.

Jenin hospital identified the woman killed as Magda Obaid.

The Palestinian Health Ministry earlier identified another one of the dead as Saeb Azriqi, 24, who was taken to hospital in a critical condition after being shot and died from his wounds.

And the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade — an armed militia affiliated with Fatah, the secular political party controlling the Palestinian Authority, claimed one of the dead, Izz al-Din Salahat, as a fighter.

The ministry said at least 20 people were hurt.