An Israeli drone attack on a vehicle near the occupied West Bank town of Qabatiya has killed two people, the Palestinian Ministry of Health says on the fourth day of a large-scale Israeli operation in and around the nearby city of Jenin.
The Israeli military said the air attack on Friday in the Jenin governorate hit a vehicle with what it said was a “terrorist cell” inside, but it gave no further details.
The official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that it was a drone attack that happened just before Israeli forces stormed Qabatiya and began “sweeping operations”.
The air attack coincided with the ongoing military operation against Palestinian fighters in Jenin and its adjacent refugee camp, which has already resulted in the deaths of 14 Palestinians and injured about 50 others, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah.
The Israeli military also announced the arrests of 20 people it considers “wanted suspects” and said it had seized weapons.
In addition to the loss of life, the operation in the northern West Bank – launched just two days after the truce agreed between Israel and Hamas in Gaza – has caused widespread destruction.
Israeli armoured bulldozers and diggers have demolished houses and dug up roads in the Jenin area and forced the displacement of about 2,000 families.
A United Nations spokesperson on Friday warned against the “deteriorating” situation in the West Bank and called on Israel to protect Palestinians.
During a media briefing, Farhan Haq said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) “warns once again that lethal, warlike tactics are being applied, raising concerns over use of force that exceeds law enforcement standards”.
Earlier, Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressed grave concerns about the use of disproportionate and unlawful force in Jenin, warning of the potential for widespread human rights violations.
Al-Kheetan emphasised the international community’s responsibility to hold Israel accountable for these actions.
