An Israeli airstrike killed at least five people in the West Bank city of Tubas on Wednesday, Palestinian emergency services said, as Israeli security forces continued an extended operation targeting Iranian-backed militant groups.
The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that rescue crews had recovered five bodies at the site and transferred them to a hospital. The Israeli military confirmed the strike, stating that it had hit an armed militant group, but provided no further details.
“As part of the counter-terrorism activity, an IAF (Israeli Air Force) aircraft struck an armed terrorist cell a short while ago in the area of Tubas,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
Entrances and exits from Tubas were sealed off, and Israeli military vehicles, including road diggers and armored personnel carriers, were seen moving through the city, close to the border with Jordan at the northern end of the West Bank.
Israeli forces have been conducting a series of operations in the northern West Bank for the past two weeks, with extended raids in Tubas, Jenin, and Tulkarm. All three cities have a heavy presence of armed factions, including Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Fatah.
Heavy clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters have been reported, with streets and infrastructure in all three cities suffering extensive damage as Israeli forces have dug up roads and targeted militant bases.
On Tuesday, a Palestinian man and woman were killed during an Israeli raid on Tulkarm, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Violence has surged in the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza, with almost daily sweeps by Israeli forces resulting in thousands of arrests and regular gunbattles between security forces and Palestinian fighters.
According to Palestinian health authorities, more than 680 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7 last year, including both fighters and unarmed civilians.
In the same period, about 40 Israeli troops and civilians have been killed in attacks by Palestinians or in clashes with fighters, according to Israel’s domestic security agency.
On Wednesday, the military reported a car ramming attack east of Ramallah in the West Bank, in which an Israeli man was injured.
