Two Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in West Bank, Palestinian authorities say

RAMALLAH (Reuters) - Israeli security forces killed two people in the West Bank city of Tulkarm on Tuesday, Palestinian health authorities said, as the military returned to the city only days after wrapping up one of their biggest operations in months.

There was no detail on the two Palestinians, a man and a woman, and the Israeli military had no immediate comment on the incident, which added to a series of deadly clashes in the area over the past few weeks.

The armed wings of the Fatah and Islamic Jihad factions issued statements saying their fighters were engaged in gunbattles with the Israeli forces.

The official Palestinian news agency WAFA said Israeli troops and military vehicles had surrounded the government hospital in Tulkarm as the operation began.

On Friday, Israeli forces ended a nine-day operation that saw heavy fighting in both Tulkarm and Jenin, another flashpoint city in the northern West Bank. The military said the operation was aimed at thwarting Iranian-backed militant groups planning attacks on Israeli civilians.

The raid, in which about 40 Palestinians, including armed fighters and uninvolved civilians, and one Israeli soldier were killed, left infrastructure in both cities badly damaged with electricity and water services cut, houses and buildings badly damaged and miles of roadway dug up by tractors.

(Reporting by Ali Sawafta, James Mackenzie)