Israel conducts military ops in Jenin; five killed

Trucks loaded with humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip waiting on the Egypt side of the Rafah crossing. PIC/AFP

The Israeli military said Friday it was conducting counterterrorism activity that included an airstrike in the area of the West Bank city of Jenin. Palestinian authorities said five people were killed.

The military said Israeli soldiers had "encircled a building where terrorists have barricaded themselves in" and the soldiers were exchanging fire, while an airstrike had "struck several armed terrorists" in the area.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said five people died but did not provide any information on their identities. No further details were immediately available from either side.

Israel approves 5,300 new homes

The Israeli government has approved plans to build nearly 5,300 new homes in settlements in the occupied West Bank, a monitoring group said, the latest in a campaign to accelerate settlement expansion, aimed at cementing Israeli control over the territory and preventing a future Palestinian state. Word of the decision emerged as diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the nine-month war in Gaza.

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