Israeli drone strikes house in Jenin as army detains ambulance crew

An Israeli drone on Friday struck a partially-built home west of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, the first aerial strike on the city in nearly 10 months, before Israeli forces deployed in the area detained a Palestinian ambulance crew that arrived at the site. According to an Anadolu correspondent, the strike targeted a half-built home in the Harsh al-Saada area west of Jenin -- not a vehicle, as was initially reported by Israeli media. Local sources said several Palestinian Red Crescent ambulances had converged on the scene as Israeli military vehicles deployed in the area. “The Israeli army is holding our ambulance crew after it arrived at the targeted house,” the Red Crescent said in a brief statement. Information about possible casualties, along with the identities of targeted individuals, has not yet been released. In a statement released earlier Friday, the army said that Israeli warplanes had “precisely struck” several people -- it did not say who, or exactly how many -- in the city. It provided no further details regarding the outcome of the attack. The occupied West Bank has seen a dramatic surge in Israeli military activity, along with attacks by Israeli occupiers, since Israel launched its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023. The escalation has been accompanied by the expansion of illegal Israeli settlement outposts throughout the West Bank and increased restrictions on the movement of Palestinian residents.​​​​​​​