RAMALLAH: An Israeli airstrike on a car in the occupied West Bank killed a commander Hamas on Saturday, local media said four other people were also killed. According to the WAFA news agency, the identities of the others were not clear, which quoted health officials.
The Israeli military claimed it had conducted an attack against a compartment around the West Bank city of Tulkarm. Hamas media reported that a vehicle carrying fighters had been targeted and that one of the commanders of its Tulkarm brigades was also killed.
Violence in the Occupied West Bank was on the rise before the Hamas-Israel war in Gaza began and has increased since, with frequent Israeli attacks in the territory, which is among those that Palestinian people seek for a state.
Regionwide tensions have also soared this week following the assassination of Hamas’ political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Teheran on Wednesday, a day after an Israeli attack in Beirut killed Hezbollah top military commander Fuad Shukr.
Reuters reported that Haniyeh’s death was one in a series of killings of senior Hamas leaders as the war in Gaza between Hamas and Israel nears its 11th month and concern increases that the war is spreading across the region.
Iran and Hamas have both accused Israel of conducting the assassination and have vowed to retaliate against their rivals. Israel has neither claimed nor refused responsibility for the assassination. Hezbollah, like Hamas, is backed by Iran and has also pledged revenge.
