Six Palestinians were killed in a drone strike during an Israeli incursion into the West Bank town of Tulkarm, the Palestinian health ministry said on Wednesday, one of the latest examples of increased violence since the start of the war between Israel and the Gaza Strip's Hamas.
The Israeli military said its forces were attacked by militants who threw explosive devices at them during a counterterrorism operation. The attackers were hit by an Israeli Air Force plane.
The clash occurred in the Nour Shams refugee camp in Tulkarm, a town on one of the main border crossing points with the West Bank.
Witnesses said the six young men killed in the attack were sitting together in the early hours of the morning but were not involved in clashes with Israeli forces who were conducting a raid in other parts of the camp.
“We heard the noise and screams, our house is nearby, so we went out to check,” said Izzaldin Assaili, a resident who lives nearby.
The official Palestinian news agency Wafa said the youths were between 17 and 29 years old. Another man, aged 24, died from injuries sustained in a collision last month, the agency said, citing the Health Ministry.
No detailed comment on the incident was immediately available from the Israeli military.
The West Bank had already seen its highest levels of unrest in decades in the 18 months before the Hamas armed group attacked Israel on October 7, but clashes sharply increased as Israel launched a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip.
Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in clashes with Israeli soldiers and settlers in recent weeks and security forces have made thousands of arrests, with repeated clashes between troops and Palestinian protesters.
Portal This publication, including information and data, is the intellectual property of Portal. Their use or name is expressly prohibited without the prior permission of Portal. All rights reserved.