Israeli military aircraft conducted an airstrike on a compound beneath a mosque located in the occupied West Bank early on Sunday. The military stated that this compound was being used by militants to plan and coordinate attacks. Palestinian medics reported that at least one individual was killed as a result of the airstrike.
This recent Israeli airstrike marks the second such incident in the West Bank in the past few days. Violence in this region has escalated following a deadly attack by Hamas militants from Gaza on October 7 in Israel.
The Israeli military asserted that the compound beneath the al-Ansar Mosque in Jenin refugee camp was owned by members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad who were responsible for carrying out attacks in the previous months. According to the military, intelligence had recently been obtained, indicating that the neutralized terrorists were in the process of organizing an imminent terror attack. They also released images of an entrance to a bunker beneath the mosque, along with a diagram illustrating where the militants had stored weapons.
Jenin refugee camp, known as a stronghold for Palestinian militants, had been a focal point of a significant Israeli military operation earlier in the year.
Footage shared on social media, appearing to depict the aftermath of the airstrike, showed a large hole in one of the mosque's outer walls, surrounded by debris. Several dozen Palestinians were observed assessing the damage, while the sirens of ambulances blared in the background.
The Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance service confirmed that at least one Palestinian had been killed, and three others were injured, though they had initially reported two casualties.
Camp residents mentioned that they had received warnings from the Israeli military advising them to avoid the militants in anticipation of an impending camp incursion. However, no specific date has been provided.
Since the Hamas attack on October 7, which led to two weeks of intense Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, Palestinian officials report that at least 84 Palestinians in the West Bank have lost their lives in confrontations with Israeli forces.
On Thursday, the Israeli military conducted a raid and an airstrike on a refugee camp near the central city of Tulkarm. The military stated that the operation aimed, in part, to apprehend suspects and seize weapons. Palestinians, however, reported that at least 12 people were killed in the operation.
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