Gaza militants fire rockets toward Israel after Israeli troops killed 9 Palestinians

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Fire and smoke rise above buildings in Gaza City as Israel launched airstrikes on the Palestinian enclave. / AFP via Getty Images

TEL AVIV — Militants in the Gaza Strip fired rockets toward Israel and Israeli warplanes bombed Hamas sites in Gaza a day after the deadliest Israeli raid in the West Bank in years.

There were no injuries reported from the rocket fire or air strikes — possibly a sign that neither side seeks to set off a violent spiral.

But the exchange took place after Israeli troops killed nine Palestinians, including gunmen and at least one civilian, in a raid on suspected militants in the occupied West Bank on Thursday. Palestinian officials said a 61-year-old woman was killed and dozens were injured in the crowded Jenin refugee camp, where the raid occurred.

Israeli troops killed another Palestinian in a separate incident Thursday, and two more people on Wednesday, according to Palestinian officials.

The Palestinian Authority said it was suspending its usual security cooperation between its police and Israeli security forces. That cooperation — which has been suspended in protest before — is intended to help rein in militants. Israel has temporarily sent an additional battalion to the West Bank.

The U.S. is calling for the sides to de-escalate, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken is making a pre-planned trip to the region Monday.

Israel started an offensive in the West Bank about 10 months ago after militant attacks inside Israel and violence have continued almost daily, with many Palestinian civilians among those killed or injured.

This story initially appeared in NPR's Newscast.

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