At least ten killed in Israeli strike on occupied West Bank

Palestinian health authorities say an Israeli airstrike in the northern West Bank has killed at least 10 people.

The Israeli military said the strike by a warplane targeted a Palestinian militant cell in the area based on intelligence.

Israel’s use of a jet fighter to strike the rural village of Tamoun late on Wednesday marked the latest escalation in its intensifying crackdown on Palestinian militants in the occupied territory. Residents of Tamoun said that the airstrike hit a house in a crowded neighbourhood. The Palestinian Health Ministry cautioned that the death toll was likely to rise.

Palestinians say the extensive military operations - such as the ongoing raid in the Jenin refugee camp that has so far killed at least 18 Palestinians - only deepen resentment for Israel and prolong the cycle of bloodshed.

In a statement, Hamas mourned the men killed in Tamoun but did not claim them as members. It called on Palestinians across Israel and the occupied West Bank to mobilise against Israel in hopes of making it “pay the price for its crimes.”

Israel's defence minister indicated on Wednesday that the military plans to keep soldiers in the flashpoint city of Jenin for the foreseeable future,.

Israel Katz pledged that the urban refugee camp in Jenin - long a bastion for Palestinian militancy - “will not return to what it was.”

The military said it has killed 18 alleged Palestinian militants during the nine-day operation in and around Jenin, during which soldiers and armoured bulldozers have caused widespread damage and destroyed scores of homes.

Palestinian health officials have not released a total death toll, but say Israeli fire has killed roughly 20 Palestinians since the start of the raid, including a 2-year-old girl. Israel’s military has pledged to investigate her death.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said two Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire in the occupied West Bank overnight and into Wednesday.

A 23-year-old man was shot dead in Tulkarem and a 25-year-old man was killed in a strike on Jenin. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its reports.