2 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrike on Jenin

Two Palestinians were killed on Friday in an Israeli airstrike targeting a vehicle in Qabatiya, south of Jenin in the northern West Bank, reported Xinhua.

Kamal Abu al-Rub, the governor of Jenin, said an Israeli drone struck the vehicle near the town's medical complex, burning the vehicle thoroughly. He identified the victims as Mahmoud Kamil and Hamoud Zakarneh.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the strike, saying it was part of a counterterrorism operation in the northern West Bank over the past four days, which involved the IDF, Israel Security Agency, and Border Police forces.

The new deaths raised the number of Palestinians killed by the Israeli army since the beginning of the large-scale military operation in Jenin to 14, Abu al-Rub noted.

The Israeli army launched the campaign, named "Iron Wall," on Tuesday to dismantle what it called "terrorist groups" and maintain military control in the West Bank.

Tensions in the West Bank have escalated since October 2023, when war broke out between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups have killed more than 800 Palestinians in the West Bank since then, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.