What to know about Israel's large-scale military operation in the occupied West Bank

Israel is carrying out large-scale military raids in parts of the occupied West Bank, where the decadeslong conflict with the Palestinians had worsened even before the outbreak of the war in Gaza.

Israel says the operation, which appeared to be the largest since the start of the war, is aimed at preventing attacks on its citizens. Palestinians view such raids as part of an effort to cement Israeli control over the territory, where 3 million Palestinians live under military rule.

The violence has escalated in recent years, particularly since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack out of Gaza ignited the war there. The Palestinian Health Ministry says over 650 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the occupied West Bank since then, the highest rate of casualties since a Palestinian uprising in the early 2000s.

Most of the dead appear to have been militants killed during Israeli raids, which often set off gunbattles, but they also include civilian bystanders and rock-throwing protesters. Some have been killed in a parallel surge of settler violence, and there has also been a rise in Palestinian attacks on Israelis.