Reports: Five young people killed in Israeli airstrike in West Bank

Five people aged between 18 and 24 were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Tubas in the West Bank, according to the Health Ministry in Ramallah.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) on Wednesday said its air force "struck an armed terrorist cell" with a drone in the area of Tubas and that its forces were "conducting counterterrorism activity" there and in the area of Tamun in the northern part of the occupied West Bank.

Palestinian reports said Israeli troops had also advanced to Tubas and positioned themselves near the local hospital. The army has imposed a curfew.

A fortnight ago, Israel launched a major military operation in the West Bank. The already tense situation there has worsened significantly since the start of the war in Gaza, triggered by the Hamas massacre on October 7, when the Palestinian Islamist militia and others killed 1,200 in Israel and took 250 hostage.

According to the Health Ministry in Ramallah, 670 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military operations, armed clashes and attacks by extremists since the start of the war. The Israeli army has also recently increased its use of airstrikes in the West Bank.

Israel took control and occupied the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem during the Six-Day War in 1967. Although Israel vacated the Gaza Strip in 2005, it continued to control the land, air and sea borders. Palestinians claim these territories for their own state.