Israeli forces kill five Palestinians in Jericho raid

Jericho, Palestinian Territories: Israel said its forces killed on Monday five Palestinian in a raid in the occupied West Bank, after a days-long search for suspects in a shooting near Jericho.

Hamas confirmed its members were among the dead, saying in a statement the Gaza-based group was mourning members of its military wing killed "in an armed clash with the Zionist occupation".

The early morning Israeli raid came amid a spike in Israeli-Palestinian violence and after days of what Jericho authorities have described as a "siege" on the city since the shooting attack late last month.