Published on 09:51 AM, October 25, 2023

Israeli drone strike in West Bank kills three Palestinians, officials say

Palestinians use slings to hurl stones during clashes with Israeli forces near Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank October 18, 2023. Photo: Reuters

Israeli forces on an overnight raid in the occupied West Bank came under fire by a group of Palestinians whom the military then hit with a drone, the Israeli military said on Wednesday, and Palestinian officials said three people were killed.

The military said armed Palestinians "fired and hurled explosive devices" at its forces in Jenin refugee camp, in the northern West Bank. The military then struck them with a drone, and "hits were identified", it added.

The drone fired at least two projectiles, the Palestinian Authority's official news agency WAFA reported, citing sources in the camp.

Three people were killed and more than 20 others injured, WAFA reported, citing Wissam Bakr, director of Jenin Governmental Hospital.

The drone attack was at least the third use of Israeli air power in the West Bank since violence in the territory surged after Hamas' Oct. 7 armed rampage in southern Israel.

Jenin refugee camp, a Palestinian militant stronghold, was the focus of a major Israeli military operation earlier this year.