Tensions have recently risen in the West Bank, as the Israeli military continues what it describes as an anti-terrorism offensive that began last year following a series of deadly attacks in Israel.

Heavy gunfire and explosions echoed across the crowded, urban Jenin refugee camp, as fierce battles between Palestinian militants and Israeli forces raged for three hours on Thursday morning.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its troops entered Jenin to arrest an Islamic Jihad "terror squad", who it accused of being "heavily involved in planning and executing multiple major terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers".

Taxi driver Mohammed Ammori said he had been talking to a friend when Israeli troops pulled up beside a building close to the club in cars and a lorry.

As funerals took place, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared three days of national mourning in response to what his spokesman called a "massacre" happening "amidst international silence".

Jenin Deputy Governor Kamal Abu al-Rub told AFP that residents were living in a "real state of war" and that Israeli forces were "destroying everything and shooting at everything that moves".