Jerusalem, Oct 22 (EFE).- Israel has intensified its bombing campaign in Gaza, eliminating several Hamas militants, including two senior commanders, the army said.
At least five Palestinians have lost their lives in the occupied West Bank, said officials on Sunday.
The situation remains tense as the Israeli military continues to target militant locations in Gaza and the West Bank.
Since Saturday afternoon, more than 110 Palestinians have died in the Israeli military attacks.
The escalation comes on the 16th day of the conflict between Israel and the Hamas militant group.
Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the army escalated its attacks on the Gaza Strip since Saturday.
Hagari again urged Palestinian civilians in the northern part of the blockaded strip to relocate to the south as Israel has been issuing threats of a ground offensive to dismantle militant infrastructure in Gaza.
Despite the warnings to evacuate, many Gazans have chosen to remain in the north of the city, while hundreds of thousands have already moved to the south.
On social media, Israel’s military reported that two high-ranking Hamas militants were killed in aerial strikes on Saturday night.
The slain commanders were part of the elite Hamas wing Nukhba that launched a surprise multi-pronged offensive against Israel on Oct.7, resulting in the deaths of around 1,400 Israelis and sparking the ongoing conflict.
Citing medical sources, Gaza’s Sanad news agency reported that at least 114 Palestinians have perished in the enclave due to Israeli bombings since Saturday afternoon.
A significant portion of these casualties—about 80 people—occurred in Deir Balah town, local Gazan sources said.
In the last 16 days of the war, more than 4,400 Palestinians in Gaza have lost their lives due to Israeli bombardments, with over 70 percent of the victims being minors, women, and the elderly.
Two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli air attack on a mosque in Jenin, while security forces shot down three others in West Bank clashes a day earlier.
The Israeli military claimed it targeted the Al Ansar mosque in Jenin because it housed an underground militant hideout for Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups.
According to the Palestinian health ministry, the latest fatalities have increased the West Bank toll from Israeli gunfire and settler violence to 90.
The Israeli army has reported that militants in the mosque were planning “an imminent terrorist attack” and were responsible for previous strikes.
They had used the mosque hideout as a command center to plan and execute attacks.
Israel resumed airstrikes on militant targets in the occupied West Bank this year, a practice that had not been common since 2006.
The region is in the grip of its worst level of violence since the end of the Second Intifada in 2006.
A Palestinian was killed by Israeli gunfire in Qabatiya near Jenin on Sunday morning. Two more individuals died in separate incidents in Nablus and Tubas cities.
Over the last two weeks, Israeli forces have arrested nearly 600 Palestinian militant suspects.
Israel gained control of the West Bank in 1967 and has since maintained a regime of occupation and colonization over the Palestinian territory. EFE
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