Israeli air strike kills 5 in northern West Bank, including Hamas commander
- The Palestinian health ministry said that four of the bodies were ‘burned and charred beyond recognition’
An Israeli air strike on a vehicle in the occupied West Bank killed a commander in the Palestinian armed group Hamas on Saturday, Hamas media reported, while Palestinian news agency WAFA said four other men were also killed.
The identities of the others were not clear, according to the WAFA report, which cited health officials.
The Israeli military said it had carried out an air strike against a militant cell around the West Bank city of Tulkarem. Hamas media said a vehicle carrying fighters had been struck and that one of the commanders of its Tulkarem brigades was killed.
According to journalists and witnesses, the blast took place along a road connecting the Palestinian villages of Zeita and Qaffin.
“I was going to work in the morning and I heard an explosion here next to the house,” said Taiser Abdullah, a Zeita resident.
WAFA said the five slain Palestinians were taken to a nearby hospital, and that four of the bodies were “burned and charred beyond recognition.” The Palestinian health ministry has not commented on the deaths.