The British government said on Friday it was "deeply concerned" by Israel's ongoing operation in the occupied West Bank, warning that risk of instability was serious and that there was an urgent need for de-escalation.
"We continue to call on Israeli authorities to exercise restraint, adhere to international law, and clamp down on the actions of those who seek to inflame tensions," a spokesperson for Britain's Foreign Office said in a statement.
Clashes with Israeli forces in the West Bank have escalated since Israel's war with Hamas began in Gaza nearly 11 months ago.
More than 660 people - combatants and civilians - have been killed, according to Palestinian tallies, some by Jewish settlers who have carried out frequent vigilante-style attacks on West Bank Palestinian communities.
A top UN aid official meanwhile questioned "what has become of our basic humanity", as the war raged on in Gaza where humanitarian operations struggled to respond.
Israel said it killed three Hamas fighters in an air strike in the occupied West Bank on Friday, taking the death toll from a large-scale military operation now in its third day to at least 19.
Israeli troops killed a local commander of Islamic Jihad movement in the West Bank and four others on Thursday in a gunbattle during one of the largest assaults in the Israeli-occupied territory for months.
Israeli troops pulled back from other West Bank towns late Thursday but fighting raged on around Jenin.
An AFP journalist reported loud explosions from the city's refugee camp and thick plumes of smoke rising from the area
"We recognise Israel's need to defend itself against security threats, but we are deeply worried by the methods Israel has employed and by reports of civilian casualties and the destruction of civilian infrastructure," UK's Foreign Office spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added the UK "strongly condemns settler violence", and that it was in no one's interest further conflict and instability to spread in the occupied West Bank.
![Mourners carry the body of a Palestinian who was killed by Israeli forces, during his funeral in Nur Shams refugee camp, near Tulkarm in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on Friday. REUTERS Mourners carry the body of a Palestinian who was killed by Israeli forces, during his funeral in Nur Shams refugee camp, near Tulkarm in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on Friday. REUTERS](https://cdn4.premiumread.com/?url=https://gulf-times.com/gulftimes/uploads/images/2024/08/30/216723.jpg&w=800&q=100&f=webp)
Mourners carry the body of a Palestinian who was killed by Israeli forces, during his funeral in Nur Shams refugee camp, near Tulkarm in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on Friday. REUTERS
![Children pass by a damaged house, following an Israeli military raid, in Tulkarm, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on Friday. REUTERS Children pass by a damaged house, following an Israeli military raid, in Tulkarm, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on Friday. REUTERS](https://cdn4.premiumread.com/?url=https://gulf-times.com/gulftimes/uploads/images/2024/08/30/216728.jpg&w=800&q=100&f=webp)
Children pass by a damaged house, following an Israeli military raid, in Tulkarm, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on Friday. REUTERS
![Smoke rises among buildings during an Israeli army raid in Jenin in the occupied West Bank on Friday. AFP Smoke rises among buildings during an Israeli army raid in Jenin in the occupied West Bank on Friday. AFP](https://cdn4.premiumread.com/?url=https://gulf-times.com/gulftimes/uploads/images/2024/08/30/216721.jpg&w=800&q=100&f=webp)
Smoke rises among buildings during an Israeli army raid in Jenin in the occupied West Bank on Friday. AFP
![A Palestinian man inspects the damage in a house, following an Israeli military raid, in Tulkarm, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on Friday. REUTERS A Palestinian man inspects the damage in a house, following an Israeli military raid, in Tulkarm, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on Friday. REUTERS](https://cdn4.premiumread.com/?url=https://gulf-times.com/gulftimes/uploads/images/2024/08/30/216727.jpg&w=800&q=100&f=webp)
A Palestinian man inspects the damage in a house, following an Israeli military raid, in Tulkarm, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on Friday. REUTERS
![Palestinians walk, following an Israeli military raid, in Tulkarm, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on Friday. REUTERS Palestinians walk, following an Israeli military raid, in Tulkarm, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on Friday. REUTERS](https://cdn4.premiumread.com/?url=https://gulf-times.com/gulftimes/uploads/images/2024/08/30/216725.jpg&w=800&q=100&f=webp)
Palestinians walk, following an Israeli military raid, in Tulkarm, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on Friday. REUTERS
![People surround a burnt car in the small town of Zababdeh, southeast of Jenin in the occupied West Bank on Friday, following an Israeli army raid. AFP People surround a burnt car in the small town of Zababdeh, southeast of Jenin in the occupied West Bank on Friday, following an Israeli army raid. AFP](https://cdn4.premiumread.com/?url=https://gulf-times.com/gulftimes/uploads/images/2024/08/30/216722.jpg&w=800&q=100&f=webp)
People surround a burnt car in the small town of Zababdeh, southeast of Jenin in the occupied West Bank on Friday, following an Israeli army raid. AFP
![A Palestinian man holds a cup of tea amid the devastation in the the Nur Shams refugee camp near Tulkarem in the occupied-West Bank following a large-scale military operation on Friday. AFP A Palestinian man holds a cup of tea amid the devastation in the the Nur Shams refugee camp near Tulkarem in the occupied-West Bank following a large-scale military operation on Friday. AFP](https://cdn4.premiumread.com/?url=https://gulf-times.com/gulftimes/uploads/images/2024/08/30/216724.jpg&w=800&q=100&f=webp)
A Palestinian man holds a cup of tea amid the devastation in the the Nur Shams refugee camp near Tulkarem in the occupied-West Bank following a large-scale military operation on Friday. AFP
![People check the devastation in the the Nur Shams refugee camp near Tulkarem in the occupied-West Bank in the aftermath of a large-scale Israeli military operation on Friday. AFP People check the devastation in the the Nur Shams refugee camp near Tulkarem in the occupied-West Bank in the aftermath of a large-scale Israeli military operation on Friday. AFP](https://cdn4.premiumread.com/?url=https://gulf-times.com/gulftimes/uploads/images/2024/08/30/216726.jpg&w=800&q=100&f=webp)
People check the devastation in the the Nur Shams refugee camp near Tulkarem in the occupied-West Bank in the aftermath of a large-scale Israeli military operation on Friday. AFP