By Neelam Rahim

Two Palestinians were killed overnight during an Israeli army raid within the occupied West Bank city of Nablus. The Palestinian health ministry said early Sunday.

The ministry said Muhamad Azizi, 25, was killed by a bullet to the chest, while Abdul Rahman Jamal Suleiman Sobh, 28, was shot in the head.

Palestinian news agency Wafa said Israeli forces stormed the al-Yasmina neighbourhood within the Old City of Nablus after midnight and cordoned off a house before embarking on bombing the place with explosives and gunfire, killing two Palestinians, as per Al-Jazeera.

According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, at least 12 others were wounded, including one in serious condition.

The Israeli army said it had been winding up an operation in Nablus, within the occupied West Bank, without immediately commenting on the Palestinian report of casualties.

A statement said there had been exchanges of fireside between armed suspects and troops.

At least 52 Palestinians have been killed since late March, mainly within the West Bank, among them suspected militants and non-combatants, including Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American dual national, who was covering an Israeli raid in Jenin.

Israeli security forces have launched near-daily raids within the West Bank following a spate of attacks in Israel in recent months.

Over the identical period, 19 people — the bulk of Israeli civilians inside Israel — are killed, mainly in attacks by Palestinians. Three Israeli Arab attackers have also been killed.