At least six Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military operations in the occupied West Bank, including an airstrike targeting a vehicle in the city of Tubas and the fatal shooting of a teenager in the Far’a refugee camp, according to reports from the Wafa news agency.
Israel announced on Thursday morning that military aircraft had carried out “three different attacks” targeting Palestinian fighters who allegedly posed a threat to Israeli forces in the Tubas region.
Among the casualties was 16-year-old Majed Fida Abu Zeina, who was shot by Israeli soldiers in the Far’a refugee camp. According to Wafa, Israeli troops fired several bullets at the teenager, prevented ambulance crews from reaching him, and later dragged his body from the camp using a military bulldozer.
Earlier in the day, Palestinian medical officials reported that five people were killed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a car. Two others were injured, with one in critical condition, according to Wafa. Later reports from Reuters indicated that the death toll from the drone attack had risen to at least six, with graphic images showing the victims’ bodies stacked on a truck.
Wafa also reported that the attack was conducted by an armed drone, with the Palestine Red Crescent Society transporting the bodies of the deceased and the injured to Tubas Turkish Government Hospital.
In addition to the airstrikes, Israeli forces conducted raids on the al-Ein refugee camp, west of Nablus, intensifying their military presence in the region.
The latest escalation is part of a broader Israeli military offensive in the West Bank that began last week, resulting in at least 38 Palestinian deaths and 130 injuries, with the majority of casualties concentrated in the Jenin area.
Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim reported that the Israeli siege on Jenin continued, with troops patrolling areas near the Jenin refugee camp and the city. Palestinians have described widespread destruction, including damage to roads and homes, as well as shortages of essential supplies like medicine and food.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) issued a statement on Wednesday, condemning the Israeli forces’ use of “lethal war-like tactics” in the West Bank. OCHA noted that Palestinian children were among those killed during the military operations.
The ongoing raids, which have been concentrated in the Tulkarem and Jenin refugee camps, represent the largest Israeli military assault on the occupied territory since the second Intifada in the early 2000s. The raids have caused significant violence, widespread arrests, and the destruction of infrastructure, including roads, by Israeli military bulldozers. OCHA has mobilized UN agencies and other organizations to assess the damage and address the humanitarian needs on the ground.
