Reports from the Palestinian press agency Wafa and local sources confirm that an Israeli drone strike resulted in the death of five individuals in the West Bank on Saturday. The Israeli military stated that they targeted a “terrorist cell” in the Tulkarem region.
The director of the Thabet Thabet Hospital in Tulkarem disclosed that “five martyrs” were brought to the facility following the Israeli drone attack on a Palestinian vehicle near the village of Zeita in Tulkarem.
According to Wafa, an Israeli military drone launched two missiles at a vehicle, causing it to catch fire and leading to the deaths of five men.
An eyewitness at the scene of the attack told AFP, “I live less than 50 meters away. We rushed to the location after hearing an explosion and found a vehicle engulfed in flames on the road towards Zeita, north of Tulkarem.”
“Next to it, we saw a body lying on the road. Inside the vehicle, there were three charred bodies, all completely burnt,” stated Nasser, who opted not to reveal his last name.
Following the incident, the Israeli military swiftly cordoned off the area, as reported by Wafa.
In a brief statement, the military mentioned, “An IDF (military) aircraft struck a vehicle and terrorist cell operating within the area of Tulkarm,” without elaborating on specifics at the time.
These events come amidst heightened violence in the West Bank, coinciding with the Israel-Hamas conflict that commenced in the Gaza Strip last October.
According to Palestinian health ministry records analyzed by AFP, at least 594 Palestinians have lost their lives due to Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank since October 7. In the same timeframe, official Israeli sources report that at least 17 Israelis, including soldiers, have been killed in Palestinian attacks in the West Bank.
AFP.