The Israeli military has said it had targeted a fighter from the Islamic Jihad group in an air strike in the occupied West Bank who was allegedly on his way to carry out an attack, Reuters reports.

The Palestinian news agency Wafa said a 17-year-old was also killed in the strike late on Thursday in the city of Jenin, with more than a dozen others injured.

The Israeli military said the strike targeted Yasser Hanoun, who had allegedly carried out several shooting attacks over the past few weeks.

Violence in the West Bank, among the territories which the Palestinians want for an independent state, was on the rise before the Gaza offensive and has increased since, with frequent Israeli arrest raids and often deadly clashes.