Israel launched a large-scale military operation in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, as its forces killed at least nine Palestinians and closed down the troubled city of Jenin, according to Palestinian officials.

Israel has conducted near-daily raids across the West Bank since a Hamas attack on October 7 from Gaza ignited the ongoing war there, claiming it is uprooting militants to prevent attacks on its citizens, while Palestinians in the West Bank fear an expansion of the war and forced displacement.

Israeli army spokesman Colonel Nadav Shoshani stated that "large forces" entered the troubled city of Jenin, which has long been a stronghold for militants, as well as Tulkarem and the al-Far'a refugee camp, dating back to the 1948 war, all located in the northern West Bank.

He added that all nine dead were militants, including three killed in an airstrike in Tulkarem and four others in an airstrike in al-Far'a. He stated that five other suspected militants were arrested and that the raids were the first phase of a larger operation aimed at preventing attacks on Israelis.

Palestinian groups claimed they exchanged gunfire with Israeli forces. Jenin Governor Kamal Abu Roub told a Palestinian radio station that Israeli forces had besieged the city, closing off entry and exit points and access to hospitals, and destroyed infrastructure in the camp.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in the West Bank also confirmed that Israeli forces closed roads leading to a hospital with earth barriers and besieged other medical facilities in Jenin. Shoshani stated that the army is trying to prevent militants from seeking refuge in hospitals.

AP reporters observed military vehicles blocking all entrances to the al-Far'a camp. Military jeeps and bulldozers entered the camp, and soldiers were seen patrolling the alleys on foot. Water flooded the streets damaged by homes where combat with tanks caused significant pipe damage. Gunfire rang out every few minutes.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz drew comparisons to Gaza and called for similar measures in the West Bank.

He wrote on X platform: "We must deal with the threat just as we deal with the infrastructure of terrorism in Gaza, including the temporary evacuation of Palestinian residents and any steps that may be required. This is a war in every sense of the word, and we must win it."

Shoshani stated that there are no plans to evacuate civilians.

Hamas called on Palestinians in the West Bank to rise up, stating that the raids are part of a broader plan to expand the war in Gaza, and blamed the escalation on American support for Israel, while the group urged the Western-backed Palestinian Authority security forces to "join the holy battle of our people."

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, condemned the raids, calling them a "serious escalation" and urged the United States to intervene. Abbas later announced he would cut short his visit to Saudi Arabia and return to the West Bank, where his government is based.

At least 652 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli fire since the start of the war in Gaza over 10 months ago, according to the Palestinian ministry. Most of them died during such raids, which often lead to gun battles with fighters.

Israel claims that the operations are necessary to dismantle Hamas and other militant groups and to prevent attacks on Israelis, which have also increased since the war began.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that the bodies of seven people were taken to the hospital in Tubas, another city in the West Bank, and two others were taken to the hospital in Jenin. The ministry announced the identities of the two martyrs in Jenin, Qassam Jabareen (25 years old) and Asem Balout (39 years old).

Israel occupied the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem during the 1967 war. Palestinians want these three areas for a future state.

Israel has built dozens of settlements throughout the West Bank, inhabited by more than 500,000 Jewish settlers. They hold Israeli citizenship, while three million Palestinians live in the West Bank under Israeli military rule, where the Palestinian Authority has limited control over population centers.

The war in Gaza broke out on October 7, when fighters led by Hamas infiltrated southern Israel and attacked military bases and agricultural communities, killing about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and kidnapping about 250. The fighters continue to hold about 110 hostages, with about a third believed to be dead, after most of the rest were released during a ceasefire in November.

Israel responded with what is the deadliest attack in history, resulting in the deaths of more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, and about 90 percent of Gaza's population has been displaced, often multiple times, with Israeli bombardments and ground operations causing massive destruction.

The Israeli raids on Gaza throughout the night and into Wednesday resulted in the deaths of at least 16 people, including five women and three children. Most of the strikes occurred in or near the southern city of Khan Younis, which has been heavily bombarded over the past two months. AP reporters in two hospitals confirmed the death toll.

The United States, Qatar, and Egypt have spent months trying to mediate a ceasefire that would lead to the release of remaining hostages. However, talks have repeatedly stalled as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed "complete victory" over Hamas, while the militant group demanded a permanent ceasefire and a total withdrawal from the area.

There was no sign of a breakthrough after days of talks in Egypt, with negotiations moving to Qatar this week.