Israeli forces have entered a Palestinian refugee camp in the northern West Bank early this morning, Palestinian security officials said.
The Israeli incursion is an apparent hunt for suspects in the shooting deaths of in a kibbutz over the weekend.
The pre-dawn incursion into northern Tulkarem refugee camp began at about 3 a.m. local time, and there were no immediate reports of injuries. The Israeli army did not immediately comment.
Soldiers backed by dozens of tanks carried out searches for suspected militants with ties to the group, securityofficials said.
The incursion came hours after Israeli officials said they were considering a military response to a Palestinian shooting on Sunday in the nearby communal farm of Kibbutz Metzer.
Israel believes the Tulkarem refugee camp is a hotbed of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, which has links to Palestinian leader Mr Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement and claimed responsibility for Sunday's kibbutz attacks that killed five Israelis.
A senior Israeli military official said Israel knew the shooter and his accomplices came from Tulkarem but were dispatched by militants in Nablus.
PA