The Israeli military conducted an airstrike in the West Bank city of Jenin on Friday, resulting in the deaths of five Palestinians.
Soldiers surrounded a building where they claimed “terrorists” had barricaded themselves, while the airstrike targeted the area.
The Palestinian Health Ministry reported five deaths but did not identify the victims.
No further details were immediately available from either side.
The clashes in Jenin, a frequent site of military operations, occurred a day after the Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now disclosed plans by the government to construct nearly 5,300 new homes in settlements in the occupied West Bank.
The construction plans are part of the government’s strategy to strengthen settlements and consolidate Israel’s control over the West Bank, preempting a potential Palestinian state.
The Palestinians seek the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza – territories captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war – for an independent state.
Violence has escalated in the West Bank since the beginning of Israel’s war in Gaza, sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7 incursion into southern Israel, resulting in around 1,200 deaths and more than 200 hostages.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, the conflict has claimed over 38,000 Palestinian lives.
Cease-fire negotiations appeared to be resuming after stalling for weeks.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced Thursday that negotiators would resume talks, following Hamas’s latest response to a U.S.-backed proposal for a deal.
The revival of negotiations marks another effort by U.S., Qatari, and Egyptian mediators to bridge the persistent gap that has thwarted a deal in recent months.
Hamas seeks an agreement ensuring the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and an end to the war, while Netanyahu insists the war cannot end until Hamas is eliminated.
Israeli negotiators are expected to arrive in Doha, Qatar, for talks as early as Friday, joined by American, Egyptian and Qatari officials.
