Israel said that Hamas was using a mosque as a “terrorist compound” when it launched an airstrike early on Sunday in Jenin, in the northern West Bank.
According to Palestinian Authority officials, two people died after an object hit the Al-Ansar mosque.
Although the Israeli military frequently conducts operations on targets in the West Bank, it uses airstrikes there less frequently than it does in Gaza, which is governed by Hamas.
Pictures taken on the site showed the structure to be severely damaged and covered in rubble.
According to the Israeli military, those slain were planning an “imminent terror attack” and were members of the terrorist organizations Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
It stated that they had been utilizing the compound beneath the mosque since July. In addition to pictures showcasing the site’s security measures, computers, and weapons, it also provided pictures of what it claimed to be the compound’s entrances.
It was a fighter jet, according to Israeli media, although the IDF did not disclose whether a plane, helicopter, or drone had been used in the Jenin hit on Sunday.
According to the claims, if true, this would mark the first time in about 20 years that a fighter jet had hit a target on the West Bank.
Two more Palestinians were reportedly murdered by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank overnight, according to the Palestinian Authority’s health ministry. 89 Palestinians have now been killed in the West Bank overall since October 7th.
The West Bank is administered in part by the Palestinian Authority (PA). Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority (PA), is a member of the Fatah political party.
The Gaza Strip is governed by Hamas, a rival of Fatah. On October 7, it carried out deadly operations on Israeli military installations and kibbutzim close to Gaza, killing more than 1,400 people and capturing more than 200 captives.
In preparation for what is anticipated to be a land invasion there, Israel has been heavily bombing Gaza from the air and has pledged to eliminate Hamas as a group.
More than 4,300 Palestinians have died overall since 7, more than half of whom were women and children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, which reports that 55 more Palestinians died in Gaza during Israeli airstrikes overnight.
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