Two Israeli airstrikes in the West Bank killed nine Palestinians on Saturday, Israel's army said, as violence flared again in the Israeli-occupied territory with tensions high over the war in Gaza and a potential regional escalation.
The Israeli army said its forces first struck a vehicle in a rural area outside the city of Tulkarem early morning, killing the five occupants. The army said they were on their way to carry out an attack. Hamas identified all five as militants with the group, including a local commander.
According to an Associated Press journalist and witnesses, the blast took place along a road connecting the Palestinian villages of Zeita and Qaffin.
“We came to the site and found a young man martyred 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 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. No further information was immediately available.
Ceasefire discussions on Gaza were set to continue, with an Israeli delegation led by the Mossad chief arriving in Cairo, an Egyptian official said.
The US has urged Israel to seize the chance for a ceasefire after the shock killing of Hamas' political leader in Iran, which Tehran blames on Israel.
That killing and Israel's assassination of a Hezbollah commander in Lebanon have the region holding its breath for retaliation against Israel on either front, or both, after Iran and its proxies vowed to act. Calls for people to leave Lebanon sharpened as flight activity there cooled.
