Three dead as Israel launches airstrikes on ‘militant command centre’ in Jenin

At least three Palestinians were killed as Israeli forces raided the West Bank city of Jenin overnight, carrying out rare airstrikes that were followed by a gunbattle lasting into Monday morning.

Israel targeted what it described as a “unified command centre” for militants of the Jenin Brigades in the refugee camp, in an extensive “counterterrorism effort” in the West Bank.

The military conducted airstrikes against buildings during the raid, reviving a tactic it had largely halted during the past two decades since a Palestinian uprising against Israel’s open-ended occupation slowly fizzled.

At least six drones could be seen circling over the city but the military declined to specify whether the operations included a drone strike.

The Jenin refugee camp, where hundreds of armed fighters from militant groups including Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah are based, has been hit by a series of raids since the beginning of the year.

Three Palestinians were killed and 13 sustained injuries, the Palestinian health ministry said on Monday. Three of the injured remained in a critical state, the ministry added.

The sounds of gunfire and explosives were heard across the city hours after the strike.

“What is going on in the refugee camp is real war,” Palestinian ambulance driver Khaled Alahmad told the Reuters news agency. “There were strikes from the sky targeting the camp, every time we drive in around five to seven ambulances and we come back full with injured people.”