RAMALLAH -- The Israeli army on Thursday killed five Palestinians, including a commander, in an exchange of fire in the Tulkarm refugee camp in the West Bank, Palestinian and Israeli sources said.

Mohammed Jaber, also known as Abu Shujaa, a commander of Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), was killed after exchanging fire with Israeli forces who besieged the building he was in with other Palestinian militants, Palestinian sources told Xinhua.

Avichai Adraee, the spokesperson of the Israeli army, said in a press statement that under the direction of the Shin Bet, and after an exchange of fire, members of the special police unit eliminated five militants, including Abu Shujaa, who were hiding in a mosque in Tulkarm.

Abu Shujaa was involved in several operations and "directed the shooting operation in June that resulted in the death of the Israeli Amnon Mukhtar," Adraee said.

He added that one of the members of the police unit sustained minor injuries and was transferred to a hospital in Israel for treatment.

For the second day in a row, the Israeli army has launched a large-scale military operation in Tulkarm, Jenin and Tubas refugee camps in an attempt to arrest wanted persons accused of involvement in operations against Israel.