The Palestinian Authority on Tuesday said five Palestinians, including a 60-year-old woman, were killed by Israeli forces in Jenin over the past 24 hours, adding to a growing toll from one of the largest operations seen in the West Bank in years.

In a separate statement, the authorities added that another man, who was wanted over previous incidents, was killed by Palestinian security forces.

The latest incidents bring the number of Palestinians killed since January, when Israeli forces launched a major operation involving thousands of troops in cities and refugee camps in the north of the West Bank, to more than 30.

Many of those killed are reported to have been armed fighters from Palestinian militant groups, but numerous uninvolved civilians have also been killed.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians have fled their homes since the West Bank operation began at the start of a ceasefire in Gaza.

It was gathered that troops have swept through refugee camps in Jenin and nearby cities, demolishing houses and infrastructure, including roads and water pipes.

According to Israel, the West Bank operation is aimed at targeting Iranian-backed militant groups, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, that have made strongholds of the crowded townships built to house descendants of Palestinians who fled or were forced from their homes in the 1948 Middle East war.

Countries including France and Germany, as well as international groups such as the United Nations, have expressed alarm at the scale of the operation and called for restraint.

The Israeli military said on Tuesday that police Special Forces fought a gun battle with armed Palestinians barricaded in a house in Jenin, killing two and wounding another man.