A Palestinian man who was freed in a prisoner exchange deal with Israel last year was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the occupied West Bank, according to local reports on Sunday.
Abdul Hadi Issam Alawneh died when an Israeli strike targeted a vehicle on Saturday evening in the town of Qabatiya, south of Jenin, the Hamas-run Prisoners Media Office said in a statement. Another Palestinian was also killed in the attack.
Alawneh had been released in November 2023 as part of a prisoner swap agreement between Israel and Hamas.
On January 21, the Israeli army launched a military operation in Jenin and its refugee camp, killing at least 25 Palestinians. The offensive later extended to the city of Tulkarm, where three more Palestinians were killed.
Violence in the West Bank intensified despite a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal in Gaza, which took effect on January 19, pausing Israel’s military campaign that has killed over 47,400 Palestinians and devastated much of the enclave.
Since October 2023, more than 900 Palestinians have been killed and over 6,700 injured in Israeli military operations and attacks by illegal settlers in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian sources.
