2 Killed In West Bank Airstrike, Israel Defends Action As ‘Terrorist Cell’ Targeting

Palestinian officials reported that two people were killed in an Israeli air strike in the occupied West Bank on Saturday. The Israeli military confirmed the attack, stating that it targeted a “terrorist cell” in the Jenin area.

According to a statement from the Palestinian health ministry, “Two bodies were transferred to Jenin public hospital after the occupiers (Israeli forces) bombed a car in the centre of the city.” The official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, further reported that the strike was conducted by an “Israeli drone.”

The Israeli military released a statement confirming that it had carried out an “air strike on a terrorist cell in the Jenin area.”

Video footage shared on social media depicted a vehicle engulfed in flames in the middle of a street. Additional images showed a crowd gathering around a charred car, with individuals attempting to pry open the doors. A man is heard shouting, “There are dead people in the car,” as rescue workers bring a stretcher to the scene.

This incident is part of a broader surge in violence in the West Bank, a territory occupied by Israel since 1967 and geographically separated from Gaza by Israeli territory. The escalation follows the unprecedented attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7.

Since that date, at least 635 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces or settlers, according to an AFP count based on Palestinian official reports. During the same period, at least 18 Israelis, including soldiers, have been killed in attacks carried out by Palestinians, according to Israeli government data.