Israeli airstrike kills Hamas commander and four others in West Bank

Five people, including one of the local Hamas commanders, were killed on Saturday in an Israeli airstrike in the West Bank, reported Reuters. The Israeli army announced it had conducted an attack on a militant cell.

Reuters reported the killing of the Hamas commander, citing media affiliated with the Palestinian organization. According to the Times of Israel, the deceased commander is Haithem Balidi. The Palestinian Wafa agency conveyed that four other people were killed in the airstrike along with him.

The Israeli military reported conducting an airstrike on a terrorist cell near the city of Tulkarm in the West Bank.

As reported by Hamas media, a vehicle carrying its militants was hit, and one of the brigade commanders in Tulkarm was killed.

Islamist Hamas, considered a terrorist organization in the West, has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007. After this group attacks Israel in the fall of 2023, a war broke out that continues to this day.

According to the Israeli military, activity by terrorist organizations in the West Bank originating from the Gaza Strip - Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad - has recently increased.