WEST BANK: As many as eight residents have embraced martyrdom as the Israeli army Monday conducted drone strikes in the West Bank’s Jenin, injuring around 50 people with several in critical condition, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

The operation was conducted two weeks after a brutal Israeli army raid in the Jenin refugee camp claimed the lives of several people. The Israeli army said its forces had struck a “joint operations center” that served as a command post for the “Jenin Brigade,” a local militant group. The West Bank is controlled partially in the West Bank, including the Jenin area by the Palestinian Authority. Under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who took power in December with his ultra-nationalist allies, the violence by Israelis has increased the suffering of the Palestinians.

In another incident, a Palestinian youth was martyred by Israeli fire near the West Bank city of Ramallah.

In a related development, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) condemned an Israeli military operation in the Palestinian city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank. The Jeddah-based grouping held Israel responsible for “the repercussions of this heinous crime that calls for investigation and accountability.”

The OIC called on the UN Security Council to “take responsibility, enforce its relevant resolutions, put an end to this continuous Israeli terrorism, and provide protection for the Palestinian people.” The United Nationsexpressed concern over the escalating violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, calling for calm and restraint from all parties. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply saddened” by the loss of life and injuries in the recent violence and called on Israeli and Palestinian leaders to “take immediate steps to de-escalate the situation.”