Israel strikes mosque in occupied West Bank refugee camp

A mosque in the occupied West Bank’s Jenin has been struck by an Israeli air strike. (Reutes File Photo via Al Jazeera)

Israel has struck a mosque in Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, with Palestinian medics reporting at least one person killed.

Israeli’s military said the strike on the Al-Ansar Mosque early on Sunday killed several “terror operatives” from Hamas and Islamic Jihad who had been using the building as a command centre to plan attacks.

Israeli military officials said those killed were organising an “imminent” attack and had been involved in several attacks in recent months

Footage on social media appeared to show heavy damage to the mosque’s exterior and medics rushing to the scene.

There were conflicting reports of causalities.

Mahmoud Al-Saadi, the director of the Red Crescent in Jenin, said one person was killed and three others were wounded in the strike, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

Palestinian medics had earlier told the Reuters news agency that the strike had killed two people and wounded several others.

Al Jazeera’s Sara Khairat Saud, who is in the occupied West Bank, said that witnesses at the Jenin refugee camp heard and saw a fighter jet, taking many by surprise as it is unusual for Israel to carry out air strikes in the Palestinian territory.

The strike came as Israel continued its bombardment of Gaza overnight, after military officials pledged to step up air raids on the enclave to minimise risks to Israeli troops ahead of an expected ground offensive.

At least 11 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, Palestinian media reported.

Jenin refugee camp, which is populated by descendants of Palestinians dispossessed of their land during the establishment of Israel in 1948, was the focus of a major Israeli military offensive in July that killed at least 14 Palestinians.

The air strike on camp is at least the second to hit the occupied West Bank in recent days.

Palestinian officials say at least 84 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers and settlers in the occupied territory since Hamas’s unprecedented multi-pronged attack in Israel on October 7, which Israeli officials say killed more than 1,400 people.

Israeli air strikes have killed at least 4,385 more people in Gaza, according to Palestinian officials.

Source: Al Jazeera