5 Palestinians said killed in strike in West Bank’s Balata refugee camp

The Palestinian Red Crescent says five people were killed in a strike on a building in the Balata refugee camp near the West Bank city of Nablus.

Palestinian reports say the attack was an Israeli drone strike at the Fatah headquarters in the camp.

Haaretz reports that four of those killed were affiliated with Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, citing “hospital testimonies.”

Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades confirms one of the gunmen killed in the Balata airstrike is a commander belonging to the group. pic.twitter.com/xTa2eWNKKQ

— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) November 17, 2023

Ynet reports that among the five killed was a terrorist who killed an Israeli man in a shooting attack on a West Bank road Thursday early this month, sparking a manhunt for the assailants and revenge attacks by settlers, amid spiking tensions in the territory. Elhanan Klein, 29, was killed as he was returning from army reserve duty to his home in the settlement of Einav in the northern West Bank on November 2. Medics found him dead in his car, which crashed and overturned on the side of Route 557 near the Palestinian town of Bayt Lid, northwest of Nablus.

Earlier Friday, the IDF said troops had killed seven Palestinian gunmen in two separate incidents throughout the West Bank.