Israeli airstrike kills 5 in West Bank, including Hamas commander

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) -An Israeli airstrike on a vehicle in the occupied West Bank killed a commander in the Palestinian armed group Hamas on Saturday, Hamas media reported, while Palestinian news agency WAFA said four other men were also killed.

The identities of the others were not clear, according to the WAFA report, which cited health officials.

The Israeli military said it had carried out an airstrike against a militant cell around the West Bank city of Tulkarm. Hamas media said a vehicle carrying fighters had been struck and that one of the commanders of its Tulkarm brigades was killed.

Violence in the West Bank was on the rise before the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza began on Oct. 7 and has risen since, with frequent Israeli raids in the territory, which is among those that the Palestinians seek for a state.

Regionwide tensions have soared this week after the assassination of Hamas’ leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran on Wednesday, a day after an Israeli strike in Beirut killed Hezbollah senior military commander Fuad Shukr.

Haniyeh’s death was one in a series of killings of senior Hamas figures as the war in Gaza between the Palestinian militants and Israel nears its 11th month and concerns grows that the conflict is spreading across the Middle East.

Hamas and Iran have both accused Israel of carrying out the assassination and have pledged to retaliate against their foe. Israel has neither claimed nor denied responsibility for the death.

Hezbollah, like Hamas, is backed by Iran and has also vowed revenge.

(Reporting by Alli Sawafta and Maayan Lubell; Editing by William Mallard)