Jerusalem, Apr 20 (IANS/DPA): At least two Palestinians have died and seven suffered gunshot wounds in an Israeli military operation in the Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarm on the West Bank, the Palestinian health authority reported on Saturday.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that the operation had begun on Friday and was continuing into Saturday. It said the IDF forces were acting against armed opponents after being fired on and attacked with explosives.

Four IDF soldiers had suffered injuries ranging from light to moderate, it said.

Four more men had been killed, Palestinian media reports said, including the local commander of Islamic Jihad. There was no confirmation of the deaths, as Nur Shams has been cordoned off by the IDF.

A number of Palestinians are reported to have been detained and considerable damage caused to roads, healthcare facilities and homes.

Almost 450 Palestinians have died in the West Bank since the October 7 attacks mounted by Hamas from the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, most of them dying in IDF operations and others in attacks mounted on Israelis.

In the Gaza Strip, the IDF bombed rocket launch ramps in Beit Hanoun in the north following a rocket attack directed towards Sderot across the border with Israel on Friday.

Dozens of sorties were also flown targeting other targets in the Gaza Strip, the IDF reported.

And in the north of Israel along the border with Lebanon, air raid sirens sounded, indicating a possible attack by the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia.