RAMALLAH: Five children were killed in a house fire in a town near the West Bank city of Hebron early Saturday, the Palestinians’ official Wafa news agency reported.

Mayor of Taffuh Mahmoud Erzekat said that the five, aged between five and 14, had died in the early hours after the fire broke out in their home.

Another 15 people were injured, including the children’s parents whose condition was described as critical.

Local authorities said they were investigating the cause of the fire.

Among the injured were a number of nearby residents who attempted to rescue the family from the blaze.

The children were buried in a joint funeral in Taffuh on Saturday afternoon.

The town lies eight kilometres (five miles) west of Hebron, a frequent flashpoint between Palestinians and Israeli forces who have occupied the West Bank since the Six-Day War of 1967.