Jerusalem: On Tuesday, the Israeli military reported eliminating three Hamas operatives in an airstrike near the occupied West Bank city of Tubas. This came after the Palestinian health ministry initially announced two fatalities from the attack.

According to the Israeli army, the airstrike targeted vehicles in the Aqaba region, neutralizing "three Hamas terrorists planning an imminent attack." The operation was followed by a ground raid, during which soldiers reportedly recovered four weapons.

The Palestinian health ministry confirmed that all three individuals were transported to a hospital in Tubas. It later accused Israeli forces of surrounding and raiding the hospital, claiming they fired inside, assaulted staff and patients, and detained several individuals. However, the Israeli military denied entering the facility, stating to AFP that while an army unit operated in the vicinity of the Turkish Hospital in Tubas, it did not breach its premises.

An AFP journalist near the hospital observed Israeli armored vehicles stationed outside and soldiers detaining hospital staff, some dressed in medical attire, before placing them into vehicles.

The airstrike and subsequent events occur against the backdrop of escalating violence in the West Bank since the war in Gaza began on October 7 of the previous year, following Hamas's assault on Israel. According to Palestinian health officials, at least 787 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers during this period. Meanwhile, Israeli authorities report at least 24 fatalities in the West Bank due to Palestinian attacks in the same timeframe.

The region remains tense, as Israel continues its decades-long occupation of the West Bank, which began in 1967.