Israeli raid leaves five Palestinians dead

Israeli forces killed five Palestinians during a raid in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, said the Israeli military. According to the army, the goal of the raid was to arrest Hamas operatives involved in a cell that planned to carry out an attack against Israelis. Israeli officials have long voiced concern that Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip, intends to gain strength in the West Bank. In response to the killing, Hamas spokesman Abdel Latif al-Qanua warned in a statement the deaths of the Palestinians “will fuel the Palestinian protest and the struggle by all means”.