Israeli Air Strike Kills Three In West Bank: Palestinian Ministry

Muhammad Irfan Published March 21, 2024 | 07:21 PM

An Israeli strike on Wednesday killed three Palestinians in a car in the occupied West Bank, including a senior Islamic Jihad militant, the Palestinian health ministry said

Jenin, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Mar, 2024) An Israeli strike on Wednesday killed three Palestinians in a car in the occupied West Bank, including a senior Islamic Jihad militant, the Palestinian health ministry said.

AFP journalists saw a crowd gathered around the charred remains of a vehicle and blood on the pavement in the northern West Bank city of Jenin after the army said "an aircraft struck two senior Islamic Jihad operatives".

The military said it had "eliminated" Ahmed Barakat, whom it accused of a May 2023 attack that killed an Israeli settler.

Three other militants were also "struck" in the attack, according to a military statement.

According to the Palestinian ministry, the strike killed three people including Barakat, and wounded one.

Islamic Jihad's armed wing confirmed in a statement that Barakat, whom it said headed its military operations in Jenin, had been killed.

Witness Amir al-Sabah, 30, said: "Suddenly there was an explosion near my car. Because of the force of the blast, my car caught fire, so I had to get out."

Emergency workers sprayed blood off the street with a hose after the strike, while a drone could be heard buzzing overhead.

Jenin and its adjacent refugee camp are a stronghold of armed Palestinian groups opposing Israel, which has occupied the West Bank since 1967.

Israeli troops regularly carry out incursions into Palestinian communities but until several months ago had rarely struck the West Bank from the air.

Violence in the territory has intensified since war broke out between Israel and Hamas, sparked by the Gaza militants' October attack on southern Israel.

According to the Ramallah-based health ministry, Israeli troops and settlers have killed at least 435 Palestinians in the West Bank since the Gaza war began.