The Israeli military has killed a Palestinian during an early morning raid in the occupied West Bank city of Tubas, before carrying out an airstrike on the nearby town of Tammun, where four people lost their lives. According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, the military entered Tubas at dawn on Wednesday and stormed the home of Fayez Fawaz Abu Amer, who was shot and killed.
In a statement from the Israeli military, the operation was described as an “anti-terror operation,” claiming they “eliminated a terrorist” and “hit others during a shootout.” They also mentioned that soldiers had “arrested wanted individuals and located as well as confiscated weapons.”
Al Jazeera’s reporter Nida Ibrahim reported that confrontations later spread to Tammun, located southeast of Tubas, where a drone struck a group of men, killing four of them. “The governor of Tubas stated that the Israeli forces took the bodies with them, which is part of Israel’s policy to withhold the bodies of Palestinians they deem responsible for attacks,” Ibrahim said.
Footage shared on a Palestinian social media account, verified by Al Jazeera’s fact-checking agency Sanad, appears to show Israeli troops dragging one of the bodies across the road before loading it into the trunk of a military vehicle.
The Israeli military stated that they had “conducted airstrikes on several armed terrorists” in the area. There were also reports of ground fighting, with gunfire and heavy explosions heard. The Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian group Hamas, stated in a declaration that they were fighting against Israeli forces.
The Palestinian Red Crescent (Palæstinensisk Røde Halvmåne) reported that they were prevented from reaching the site as the military had blocked roads. Ibrahim noted that the raids follow a recent shooting that killed one person near the illegal Israeli settlement of Mahola in the Jordan Valley. “Israeli forces have conducted raids in several Palestinian villages following the shooting incident,” she added.
Drone attacks in the occupied West Bank have become more common in recent months. Israeli forces, supported by drone strikes, killed 11 Palestinians during clashes around Jenin earlier this month. Drones have also been used to target Palestinians in the Nur Shams refugee camp near the city of Tulkarem.