Israeli forces have reportedly killed at least five Palestinians in a series of raids in the occupied West Bank's Tulkarem, adding to the growing toll of casualties in the region over the past 24 hours. According to Palestinian news agency Wafa, two of the victims were killed in drone strikes, while several others sustained injuries in the military offensive.

The Israeli army confirmed the use of aircraft to target Palestinians in Tulkarem, stating that the strikes were in response to fighters launching explosives at them from the Nur Shams camp. The air raid was followed by the prevention of ambulances from accessing the camp, and the arrest of a paramedic, as reported by Wafa. Israeli forces also conducted a large-scale raid using tanks and bulldozers.

Meanwhile, a Palestinian in Jenin succumbed to injuries sustained in an Israeli attack several days earlier, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

Al Jazeera correspondent Charles Stratford, reporting from the Tulkarem refugee camp, described the nine-hour raid that began at 1 am on Sunday. Stratford mentioned that Israeli forces utilized drones to fire projectiles at camp residents and blocked ambulances from reaching the wounded for four hours. The Tulkarem camp houses around 17,000 individuals who face raids on a regular basis.

The escalation of military operations and settler attacks in the occupied West Bank has occurred alongside the ongoing conflict in Gaza since October 7. During this period, at least 297 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers, making it the deadliest year in 18 years. Israeli authorities have also increased arrests of Palestinians since October 7, with over 4,500 people detained, according to the Palestinian Prisoner's Society.

In the besieged Gaza Strip, the Health Ministry has reported that at least 18,787 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 7. The Israeli government alleges that the Hamas attack on October 7 resulted in the death of 1,139 people, most of them civilians.

The intensification of violence and the rising death toll in the occupied territories calls attention to the ongoing challenges faced by civilians and medical crews. The situation highlights the urgent need for concerted efforts to address the escalating violence and seek a sustainable solution to bring about peace and stability in the region.