Seven people were killed on Friday during an Israeli military operation in the West Bank city of Jenin. This came as the Israeli military stated that it was conducting “counterterrorism activity” in the area, which included an airstrike. Since the start of the war on October 7, at least 561 West Bank residents have lost their lives.
According to the military, Israeli soldiers had “encircled a building where terrorists had barricaded themselves” and exchanged fire with those inside. An airstrike targeted and “struck several armed terrorists” in the vicinity.
The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed the deaths of seven individuals but did not specify whether they were killed in the exchange of fire or the airstrike. The Islamic Jihad militant group identified four of the deceased as its members.
The clashes in Jenin, a known militant stronghold where the Israeli army frequently operates, occurred a day after an Israeli anti-settlement monitoring group announced government plans to build nearly 5,300 new homes in settlements in the occupied West Bank.