CAIRO: Two Israeli airstrikes in the northern West Bank killed nine Palestinian militants on Saturday, Israel’s army said, as violence flared again in the Israeli-occupied territory with tensions high over the war in Gaza.
The Israeli army said its forces first struck a vehicle in a rural area near Tulkarem city early in the morning, killing five occupants. The army said they were on their way to carry out an attack.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said the bodies were taken to a nearby hospital. Hamas later identified all five as militants with the group, including a local commander.
According to witnesses, the blast took place along a road connecting the Palestinian villages of Zeita and Qaffin.
“We came to the site and found a man lying dead here on the street and half of his face was missing,” said Taiser Abdullah, a Zeita resident.
The official Palestinian news agency Wafa said four of the bodies were “burned and charred beyond recognition”.
Later Saturday, Israel’s military said it killed four other Palestinian militants in the Tulkarem area shortly after they opened fire on Israeli troops operating in the area. No further information was immediately available.