The Israeli military said it carried out an air strike on a militant group around the West Bank town of Tulkarm. Hamas media reported that a car carrying militants was hit and one of the commanders of the Tulkarm brigade was killed.

The identities of the remaining four dead remain unclear, WAFA reported citing health officials.

Violence in the West Bank was already on the rise before the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip began on October 7 last year, and has continued to escalate since. Israel regularly raids the territory, one of the Palestinians’ targets for a state.

Tensions across the region have spiked this week following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31, a day after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut killed senior Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr.

The death of leader Haniyeh is one of a series of killings of senior Hamas figures as the conflict in Gaza approaches its 11th month, and there are growing concerns that the conflict is spreading across the Middle East.

Hamas and Iran have both accused Israel of carrying out the assassination and vowed to retaliate. Israel has neither admitted nor denied responsibility for the incident. Hezbollah has also vowed to retaliate.

Ngoc Anh (according to Reuters)