ZEITA, WEST BANK -- Two Israeli airstrikes in the West Bank killed nine Palestinian militants on Saturday, Israel's army said, as violence flared again in the Israeli-occupied territory with tensions high over the war in Gaza and a potential regional escalation.
Cease-fire discussions on Gaza continued, with an Israel delegation led by the Mossad chief briefly visiting Cairo, an Egyptian official said. The U.S. has urged Israel to seize the chance for a cease-fire after the shock killing of Hamas' political leader in Iran, which Tehran blames on Israel.
That killing and Israel's assassination of a Hezbollah commander in Lebanon have the region holding its breath for retaliation against Israel on either front, or both, after Iran and its proxies vowed to act. Hamas said its command had begun discussions on choosing a new leader.
In the northern West Bank, the Israeli army said its forces first struck a vehicle in a rural area outside the city of Tulkarem early Saturday, killing the five occupants. The army said they were on their way to carry out an attack. Hamas identified all five as militants with the group, including a local commander.
According to an Associated Press journalist and witnesses, the blast took place along a road connecting the Palestinian villages of Zeita and Qaffin.
"We came to the site and found a young man martyred here on the street and half of his face was missing.," said Taiser Abdullah, a Zeita resident. The official Palestinian news agency Wafa said four bodies were "burned and charred beyond recognition."
Later on Saturday, Israel's military said it killed four other Palestinian militants in the Tulkarem area shortly after they opened fire on Israeli troops. No further information was immediately available.
Over 590 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank since the Israel-Hamas war began in Gaza in October, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Most have been killed during Israeli raids and violent protests. Tulkarem is regularly raided by Israeli forces, and Palestinian militant groups, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, are active there.
Concerns about a full-fledged regional war are high after the assassinations of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran early Wednesday and top Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur in Beirut the evening before.
Iran and its proxies, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, vowed to retaliate against Israel, which said it killed Shukur but has not confirmed or denied its role in Haniyeh's death. Iran's Revolutionary Guard said a short-range projectile was behind the killing and accused the United States of supporting the attack.
The Pentagon said late Friday the U.S. military will move a fighter jet squadron to the Middle East and maintain an aircraft carrier in the region. The U.S. Embassy in Lebanon encouraged citizens who wish to leave to "book any ticket available," noting that several airlines have suspended or cancelled flights. The British government called on its citizens in Lebanon to "leave now." Jordan did the same.
President Joe Biden on Thursday said he had urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to seize the chance for a cease-fire with Hamas, adding that Haniyeh's killing had "not helped" efforts to negotiate an end to the war. Netanyahu has vowed to destroy Hamas' military and governing capabilities.
Saturday midday, an Israeli delegation led by Mossad chief David Barnea arrived in Cairo, an Egyptian official said. The delegation, which also included Ronan Bar, chief of Israel's internal security agency Shin Bet, was to meet with Abbas Kamel, head of Egypt's General Intelligence Service, for talks on the Philadelphi corridor along the border with Egypt and the Rafah crossing point, the official said.
The delegation left Cairo hours later and there was nothing new, said the Egyptian official, who has direct knowledge of the Gaza cease-fire negotiations and spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to brief reporters.
There was no immediate comment from Israeli officials. Netanyahu's office late Friday said he ordered the negotiation delegation to leave for Cairo on Saturday or Sunday.
Egypt's foreign minister had calls with counterparts in Iran and Lebanon about the "dangerous" escalation in the region.
As protesters in various countries marked 300 days of the war in Gaza and expressed support for Palestinians, the death toll inside the territory is nearing 40,000. At least 39,550 have been killed in the nearly 10 months since Hamas' brutal Oct. 7 attack on Israel. That's according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count. Israel has accused Hamas of embedding in the civilian population and putting it at risk.
In the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood in Gaza City on Saturday, witnesses told the AP an Israeli strike targeting a school killed an unspecified number of people. Israel's military said it struck a Hamas command center.
Most of Gaza's population of about 2.3 million is displaced, many people multiple times, as Israel's military returns to areas where it says Hamas militants have regrouped. Health services and sanitation have largely collapsed across the territory as hunger grows.
Families of hostages taken on Oct. 7 and others again held protests Saturday night in Israel seeking a deal to end the war. "Most of the military targets were achieved, there is no reason to continue this war," said one protester, Naama Weinberg.
Jeffery reported from Ramallah, West Bank. Associated Press writers Samy Magdy in Cairo; Tia Goldenberg in Tel Aviv, Israel; and Bassem Mroue in Beirut contributed.
