The Israeli army has killed three Palestinian men during a large-scale raid on the Balata refugee camp in the city of Nablus in the northern occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian health ministry identified the three men killed on Monday morning as Muhammad Abu Zaytoun, 32, Fathi Abu Rizk, 30, and Abdullah Abu Hamdan, 24.

At least seven other Palestinians were injured, including four with live ammunition, and dozens of others suffered tear gas inhalation, according to the ministry.

Hundreds of Israeli soldiers and special forces participated in the raid that began at about 1am local time (22:00GMT) and persisted until 5:00am (2:00GMT).

Israeli forces blockaded the camp’s entrances with bulldozers, and demolished and damaged several homes including with anti-tank grenades, according to residents.

Reporting from Balata refugee camp, Al Jazeera’s Givara Budeiri said at least seven homes inside the camp were demolished or damaged.

“The families here are remembering the 2002 invasion of Nablus. They felt the bullets had penetrated everything tonight,” said Budeiri, adding that ambulance crews were also targeted as they attempted to access the wounded.

The Israeli army said in a statement it arrested three Palestinian men “suspected of involvement” in armed activity and confiscated weapons, but did not comment on the killings. It also said it found an “explosives laboratory” in one of the apartments in the camp.

Monday’s raid took place after a car ramming attack near Nablus on Sunday in which an Israeli soldier was injured.

The Balata refugee camp is the largest in terms of population in the occupied West Bank, where some 30,000 Palestinians live in high population density on a quarter of a square kilometer.

Israeli forces also raided the Jenin refugee camp north of Nablus on Monday and arrested at least three Palestinian men.

Israel has been conducting near-daily raids and killings of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since June 2021 in an attempt to crackdown on a phenomenon of growing armed resistance.

In 2022, Israeli forces killed more than 170 Palestinians, including at least 30 children, in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, in what was described as the deadliest year for Palestinians living in those areas since 2006.

Since the start of 2023, Israeli forces have killed at least 156 Palestinians, including 26 children. The death toll includes 36 Palestinians killed by the Israeli army during a four-day assault on the besieged Gaza Strip between May 9 and 13.

Source: Al Jazeera