Israel kills 10 Palestinians in raid

Israeli commandos raided a guerrilla hideout in the West Bank city of Nablus and killed 10 Palestinians, one of the highest tolls in recent years, part of an escalating pattern that's seen tension mount in the occupied areas.

The Israeli forces had sought to arrest three gunmen suspected of carrying out attacks and planning future ones, the army said Wednesday. In the exchange of fire, all three were killed. The Palestinian Health Ministry said seven others died, including a 16-year-old boy and a 72-year-old man, with more than 100 injured.

The Lions' Den, a militant Palestinian group, claimed six of the dead were members.

Last month, nine Palestinians were killed during a fight in the northern West Bank city of Jenin. At the time, the Palestinian Authority said it would end security ties with Israel, meaning it wouldn't cooperate in arresting militants. Relations have deteriorated rapidly as the new Israeli government authorized illegal settlements and top officials said they planned to ease open-fire regulations for soldiers.

Some 61 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli troops since the start of 2023. That death toll marks the deadliest start to a year for Palestinians in the West Bank in the past decade and a half, prompting comparisons with events at the start of this century, when a Palestinian insurgency, known as the second intifada, left roughly 3,000 Palestinians and 1,000 Israelis dead.

At least 11 Israelis have also been killed by Palestinians since the start of the year, including seven in a mass shooting Jan. 27 by a Palestinian attacker in East Jerusalem — the deadliest attack in the city since 2008.