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The Palestinian Red Crescent said rescue crews had recovered
five bodies at the site and had transferred them to hospital.
The Israeli military confirmed the strike, which it said had hit
an armed militant group, but gave no details.
"As part of the counter-terrorism activity, an IAF (Israeli Air
Force) aircraft struck an armed terrorist cell a short while ago
in the area of Tubas", it said in a statement.
Entrances and exits from Tubas were sealed off and Israeli
military vehicles, including road diggers and armoured personnel
carriers, could be seen moving through the city, close to the
border with Jordan at the northern end of the West Bank.
Israeli forces have been conducting a series of operations in
the northern West Bank for the past two weeks, with extended
raids in Tubas, Jenin and Tulkarm. All three cities have a heavy
presence of armed factions including Hamas, Islamic Jihad and
Fatah.
Heavy clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters
have been reported, while streets and infrastructure in all
three cities have suffered extensive damage as Israeli forces
have dug up roads and targeted militant bases.
On Tuesday, a Palestinian man and woman were killed during an
Israeli raid on Tulkarm, Palestinian health authorities said.
Violence has surged in the West Bank since the start of the war
in Gaza, with almost daily sweeps by Israeli forces that have
made thousands of arrests and regular gunbattles between
security forces and Palestinian fighters.
More than 680 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank
since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7 last year,
including both fighters and unarmed civilians, according to the
Palestinian health authorities.
In the same period, about 40 Israeli troops and civilians have
been killed in attacks by Palestinians or in clashes with
fighters, according to Israel's domestic security agency.
On Wednesday, the military reported a car ramming attack east of
Ramallah in the West Bank, in which an Israeli man was injured.
(Writing by James Mackenzie, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
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