Israeli forces kill 6 Palestinians amid Gaza truce

Israeli forces have killed six Palestinians in Nablus and Jenin early on Sunday in the occupied West Bank, said the Palestinian Ministry of Health, reported the AFP.

The ministry said the army killed a 25-year-old doctor early Sunday morning outside his home near Jenin, a stronghold of Palestinian armed groups in the north of the territory, the report added.

AFP added that another Palestinian was killed in el-Bireh, near Ramallah while four more were killed by Israeli army fire in Jenin, during an incursion by a large number of armoured vehicles into the town, which was recently the scene of the deadliest Israeli raid in the West Bank in almost 20 years.

AFP quoted some witnesses as saying that the Israeli army was surrounding Jenin's public hospital and the Ibn Sina clinic, and that soldiers were searching ambulances. The West Bank region has been seeing an increase in violence since Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7.

Israel then responded with a bombing and land campaign in Gaza, killing over 15,000 people including children, according to the Hamas government. According to the Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Health, some 230 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli settlers and soldiers in the West Bank.

The development comes amidst an ongoing four-day temporary truce between Israel and Hamas after both sides agreed to release captives. Hamas has so far released 42 of 50 promised hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. The deal was on the brink of collapse after Hamas sought more aid in Gaza. The situation was managed by Qatar and Egypt leading to the resumption of the exchange of people from both sides.

Meanwhile, on the second day of the truce, around  200 trucks carrying humanitarian aid, including food and medical supplies, were dispatched towards Gaza through the Rafah Crossing.