Five killed in Israeli strike on Balata refugee camp in West Bank

The Palestinian Red Crescent said overnight that five people were killed and two hurt in an Israeli strike on a building in the West Bank's Balata refugee camp near Nablus.

The camp's administration said an aerial strike targeted the local headquarters of the Palestinian group Fatah. The Israeli military said it was checking on the reports.

Witnesses told AFP the strike appeared to have come from a drone, though there was no immediate confirmation.

Some 24,000 people live in the Balata refugee camp, in the northern West Bank, and several Palestinian armed groups operate inside.

The strike comes a day after Israel's army said it had killed at least seven armed Palestinians in two separate confrontations in the West Bank.

🚨🚨 Breaking: Israeli drone airstrike targets Fatah office in middle of the Balata refugee camp in Nablus (West Bank). The building was severely damaged/partially collapsed. Several people reported killed & injured. pic.twitter.com/f77wKAhEsH

— Nour Odeh 🇵🇸 #NojusticeNopeace (@nour_odeh) November 17, 2023

Five were killed in the Jenin refugee camp, the Israeli army said, adding two "assailants" were also killed near Hebron.

Israel has increased its attacks in the West Bank ever since it began its indiscriminate war on the Gaza Strip following a surprise Hamas attack on October 7.

At least 186 Palestinians, including 51 children, have been killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, according to UN figures.

An additional eight have been killed by Israeli settlers, while four Israelis have been killed in attacks by Palestinians

Over 12,000 people, 5,000 of them children, have been killed in Gaza, according to local authorities, while 1,200 Israelis were killed in the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.