The violence comes amid one of many deadliest durations in recent times within the Israeli-Palestinian battle and within the first weeks of Israel’s new authorities, its most right-wing ever, which has promised to take a troublesome stance in opposition to the Palestinians.

The Israeli navy mentioned it was working within the Aqabat Jabr refugee camp to apprehend the suspects behind a failed capturing assault final month at a West Financial institution restaurant, the place attackers allegedly had been thwarted by a weapon malfunction. The attackers then fled the scene, the navy mentioned, including that they had been members of the Hamas militant group that guidelines the Gaza Strip and has components within the West Financial institution as nicely.

The navy mentioned it was looking Monday for the militant cell behind the capturing that it mentioned had sealed itself inside a house within the refugee camp. Throughout the search, troops encountered the gunmen and a gun battle erupted. The navy mentioned a number of of the gunmen who had been killed had been concerned within the tried assault on the restaurant.

The Israeli safety officers mentioned two of the 5 killed had been Hamas militants concerned within the tried assault. The three others had been gunmen who had exchanged fireplace with troops in the course of the raid. The officers spoke on situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t licensed to debate the raid with the media.

Hamas mentioned it mourned the deaths of the members of its armed wing, with out specifying what number of had died. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem mentioned the violence can be met with a response.

“Our individuals and their resistance won’t delay in responding to this crime,” he mentioned.

The raid comes days after an earlier incursion within the Aqabat Jabr camp, which is close to the Palestinian metropolis of Jericho, a desert oasis in an space of the West Financial institution that not often sees such unrest, the place troops had been additionally trying to find the suspects.

For the reason that capturing on the close by settlement, the Israeli navy has blocked entry to a number of roads into Jericho — a closure that has positioned the town below a semi-blockade, disrupting enterprise and creating hourslong bottlenecks at checkpoints that affected even Palestinian safety forces, footage confirmed.

Monday’s violence comes days after an Israeli navy raid on the Jenin refugee camp killed 10 Palestinians, principally militants but in addition a 61-year-old girl. The subsequent day, a Palestinian capturing assault exterior an east Jerusalem synagogue killed seven individuals, together with a 14-year-old.

The Israeli military has ramped up near-nightly raids within the occupied West Financial institution since a collection of lethal Palestinian assaults inside Israel final spring. Over the past yr of escalating raids, Jericho has remained a form of sleepy desert city, spared a lot of the violence.

The Palestinian Authority, in retaliation for final week’s raid into the Jenin refugee camp, declared a halt to safety coordination with Israel.

Practically 150 Palestinians had been killed final yr within the West Financial institution and east Jerusalem, making it the deadliest yr in these areas since 2004, based on figures by the Israeli rights group B’Tselem. For the reason that begin of this yr, 41 Palestinians have been killed in these territories. Some 30 individuals had been killed in Israel by Palestinians in 2022.

The Israeli military says a lot of the Palestinians killed have been militants. However stone-throwing youths protesting the incursions and others not concerned in confrontations have additionally been killed.

Israel captured the West Financial institution, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem within the 1967 Mideast conflict. The Palestinians search these territories for his or her hoped-for impartial state.

Goldenberg reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Wafaa Shurafa contributed reporting from Gaza Metropolis, Gaza Strip.