Medical sources say Haitham Balidi, a leader of Hamas’ military wing in Nablus, was killed in one of two airstrikes in the occupied West Bank.
At least nine people, including a local commander of Hamas’ military wing, were killed in two separate Israeli airstrikes near Tulkarem in the occupied West Bank.
Medical sources confirmed to Tel Aviv Tribune on Saturday that one of those killed in the first attack was Haitham Balidi, leader of the Qassam Brigades in the Nablus area. Another person was identified by a relative as a leader of the Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group.
The identities of the others were not immediately established. Family members went to Tulkarem hospital to identify the dismembered bodies that had been brought there.
The Israeli military said the car contained a “terrorist squad” that was on its way to carry out an attack, without providing evidence.
Hours later, a second airstrike on a vehicle in Bal’a, east of Tulkarem, left four dead, according to the Wafa news agency.
Shortly after the initial attack, Israeli forces launched raids in Tulkarem, leading to clashes with Palestinian fighters. Israeli forces also fired tear gas at journalists covering the attack.
Airstrikes in the occupied Palestinian territory have increased since the start of the Gaza war on October 7, with authorities recording at least 29 strikes that have killed more than 80 Palestinians.
The attacks came as the Israeli army carried out raids on several West Bank towns.
In the city of Tulkarem, Israeli bulldozers destroyed infrastructure, while in Nablus, Israeli soldiers arrested three Palestinians, including a journalist. Other incursions were reported in Jenin, Faqqa, Deir Abu Daif, Bethlehem and near Ramallah. In occupied East Jerusalem, Israeli forces re-arrested activist Ramzi Abbasi, who was released last November.
Since October 7, Israeli forces have killed more than 600 Palestinians in the West Bank, including 144 children.
At the same time, Israeli ground raids and mass arrests in the West Bank have also increased over the same period, becoming an almost daily phenomenon.
According to the Palestinian Prisoners Association, more than 9,300 people are in Israeli prisons. Of these, at least 3,400 are in administrative detention, a controversial practice that allows Israel to hold suspects for long periods without them having committed any crimes.
Israeli incursions into towns and villages in the occupied West Bank are also causing significant disruption to civilian life. The Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA said Friday that the situation in the West Bank is worsening by the day in what it describes as a “silent war” amid water shortages and power cuts.
The West Bank has been under Israeli occupation since 1967. Last month, the International Court of Justice issued a historic, but non-binding, ruling declaring Israel’s presence in the territory illegal.