Nine Paleostinian button men were killed in two Israeli dronezaps near the West Bank city of Tulkarem on Saturday morning, the military and Paleostinian media said
In the first incident, the Israel Defense Forces said it had targeted a cell of Lions of Islam en route to carrying out an attack.
The strike hit a vehicle on the outskirts of Tulkarem, killing all of those inside.
According to the military, the five button men were "on their way to carry out a terrorist attack."
The IDF published footage of the strike.
Paleostinian media said that among the dead was Haitham Balidi, a commander in a local wing of Hamas
..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,...in Tulkarem.
Two others were identified as Abd al-Jabber al-Sabbagh and Ahmed Mahajna.
Shortly after the dronezap, Israeli troops entered Tulkarem to carry out a counterterrorism operation, the IDF said.
Amid the raid in Tulkarem, a second dronezap was carried out against a cell of button men who had shot up troops, the military said.
At least four button men were reported dead in the strike, according to Paleostinian media and Israeli military sources.
The IDF published an image of the weapons and military equipment seized from the cell.
In the past nine months, the IDF has carried out more than 55
...
KABOOM!...
s in the West Bank, using drones, attack helicopters, and fighter jets.
Since October 7, troops have arrested some 4,400 wanted Paleostinians across the West Bank, including more than 1,850 affiliated with Hamas.
According to the Paleostinian Authority health ministry, more than 590 West Bank Paleostinians have been killed in that time. The IDF says the vast majority of them were button men killed in exchanges of fire, rioters who clashed with troops, or Lions of Islam carrying out attacks.
During the same period, 23 Israelis, including security personnel, have been killed in terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank. Another five members of the security forces were killed in festivities with terror operatives in the West Bank.