RAMALLAH, Palestine

Two Palestinians were killed Friday evening in an Israeli airstrike targeting their vehicle in Qabatiya, south of Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank, officials said.

A Health Ministry statement said the attack was carried out by Israeli forces.

Witnesses told Anadolu that the Israeli army entered Qabatiya after the strike, deploying troops across the town and heightening fear among residents.

The airstrike coincided with the fourth day of Israel’s military operation in the Jenin refugee camp, which has left 14 Palestinians dead and around 50 injured.

The Israeli army confirmed the strike, saying in a statement that an air force aircraft targeted the vehicle. It alleged that its occupants were armed operatives.

Jenin's Deputy Governor Mansour Al-Saadi warned on Thursday of a potential large-scale invasion of the camp’s center by Israeli forces. Speaking to Anadolu, Saadi likened the anticipated campaign to the genocidal war carried out by Israel in northern Gaza.

He also highlighted worsening conditions at Jenin Government Hospital, where patients and medical teams are struggling due to power outages and fuel shortages caused by the ongoing military offensive.

The military operation, which includes airstrikes and ground raids by Israeli special forces, has forced hundreds of Palestinians to flee their homes in the camp.

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said around 2,000 families have left the camp since mid-December.

Tensions have been running high across the occupied West Bank since Israel's war on Gaza, where it has killed more than 47,000 people, mostly women and children, in last 15 months.

A ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement took effect in Gaza on Jan. 19, suspending the Israeli assault on the enclave.

In July of last year, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s long-standing occupation of Palestinian territories illegal, calling for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio