Israeli forces have killed at least 50 Palestinians since the start of this year, the Health Ministry said on Monday.

The West Bank city of Jenin recorded the highest death toll with 17 fatalities and Nablus with seven deaths, according to the ministry statement.

Last year, 14 Palestinians lost their lives to Israeli fire in the same period.

There was no comment from the Israeli authorities on the Palestinian statement.

In December, Israeli media reported that the military had authorized soldiers to open fire on stone-throwing Palestinians.

Tensions have been running high across Palestinian territories since last month amid repeated Israeli arrest campaigns in the occupied West Bank and daily settler incursions resulting in the flashpoint at the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in East Jerusalem.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. It annexed the entire city in 1980, in a move never recognized by the international community.