5 Palestinians Dead, 7 Israeli Soldiers Injured in Intense West Bank Clashes

Five Palestinians were killed and seven Israeli soldiers wounded in Jenin, a city in the West Bank, during a significant firefight on Monday. This included rare missile strikes by an Israeli helicopter, marking the first such action in the West Bank in two decades. The strikes were necessary to evacuate the injured soldiers after their vehicle was hit by an explosive device, as per military and local reports.

According to a joint statement from the Israel Defense Forces and Border Police, the forces entered Jenin early Monday to arrest two wanted Palestinians. Their mission quickly escalated into an exchange of heavy gunfire and explosives with local armed gunmen. The Palestinian Authority Health Ministry confirmed that 66 people were injured in addition to the five fatalities.

A local Palestinian Islamic Jihad group claimed responsibility for the explosives detonated near IDF vehicles. Footage from Palestinian media showed the explosion and subsequent attacks on IDF vehicles.

Seven soldiers, two from the IDF and five Border Police officers, were injured in the blast and ensuing gunfire. All injured soldiers were airlifted to Israeli hospitals for treatment.

Tensions have been high over the past year, with nearly nightly raids in the West Bank by the Israeli military. This year, Palestinian attacks in Israel and the West Bank have resulted in 20 deaths and several severe injuries. Approximately 122 West Bank Palestinians have been killed during that period, most of them in clashes with Israeli security forces.