Six Palestinians killed by Israeli fire in West Bank, over 100 injured

Violence in the West Bank on Fridays has been common during the long running Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but the fresh unrest comes as Israel is engaged in major hostilities with Palestinian armed groups in Gaza.

Israel's army said it "neutralised" an assailant who attempted to stab at soldier at a military post in Ofra, a settlement north of Ramallah.

The Palestinian health ministry confirmed the man's death and that of a second man it said was shot dead by Israeli troops near Jenin.

A statement from the Israeli army said troops had fired at who they allege was "a main instigator" of a "violent riot" by Yaabad, a village near Jenin.

Two more Palestinians wounded by live Israeli fire in protests in the northern West Bank were pronounced dead shortly later.

According to The Associated Press, a total of six Palestinians are dead, meaning there are two others still.

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There have been daily demonstrations in the West Bank since Monday, when the conflict in Gaza escalated.

This followed the ongoing expulsion battle faced by Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah, plus Israeli aggression at Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said Friday's West Bank protests, affecting multiple locations, had seen more than 100 people wounded, including from tear gas and rubber bullets.

Read more: Israel's demographic battle for Jerusalem leaves Palestinians struggling to survive

A Palestinian security source told AFP that Friday's unrest was "the most intense since the second intifida," the uprising that began in 2000.

Amid the surge in West Bank violence, the Gaza conflict raged on Friday, with Israeli forces continuing a bombing campaign.

Since Monday, more than 1,800 rockets have been fired at Israel by Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other armed groups.

Israel has used air and artillery strikes on more than 600 targets in the blockaded enclave.

According to Gaza's health minister, 119 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, including 31 children, while more than 830 have been wounded Gaza.   

On the Israeli side, a woman in her 50s died late on Thursday after she fell while seeking shelter from rockets, according to the Sheba Medical Center.

This brings Israel's death toll to nine, including a child and a soldier.

On Tuesday, Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor described Israel's current actions in the Strip as "utterly appalling" and said it was "acting without respecting the principle of proportionality".

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