Palestinians were bystanders to the Iran war. Now they're victims too

BEIT AWA, West Bank (AP) — For nearly three weeks, Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have mostly been bystanders as Israel and Iran exchange airstrikes. But on Wednesday night, four women became victims of the war.

Along with more than a dozen of their friends and daughters, they were inside a beauty salon when a missile struck only steps away. It sent shrapnel tearing through walls lined with shelves stacked with acrylic nails and bottles of turquoise and scarlet polish.

Mourning friends and relatives on Thursday gathered near the trailer that offered manicures, pedicures and eyebrow services. Hundreds of coffee cups and acrylic nails lay scattered across the salon's floor, stained red with dried blood. Holes dotted the metal walls and a small crater marked where the strike hit.

Hadeel Masalmeh, the salon's co-owner, returned with bandages covering shrapnel wounds on her face and body.

“I wasn’t supposed to leave the hospital but I wanted to say goodbye to Sahera,” she said of her business partner and sister-in-law.

The strike killed Sahera along with three other women from the extended Masalmeh family in Beit Awa — Maes, Aseel and Amal, who was six months pregnant and at the salon with her three year-old daughter. The toddler was one of more than a dozen women and children that Palestinian Health Ministry reported as injured in the strike. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said some were undergoing surgery or amputations.

In Israel, much of life has revolved around sirens and alerts since the war started, sending people running to shelters, often several times a day. Palestinians have gone about business as usual, barely pausing when distant sirens blare or interceptions boom overhead.

That was the case Wednesday night when sirens sounded from the nearby settlement of Negohot 2 miles (3 kilometers) away. Few reacted until a customer spotted red flares in the sky and Hadeel rushed everyone inside.

“We heard the sound of sirens. But we didn’t pay much attention and didn’t expect any shrapnel or anything like that to fall on us,” she said.

The reaction to the alarm was the same Thursday. Mourners gathered at the family home next to the salon to pay final respects. As women sobbed, few looked up while alerts beeped from the handful of phones with Israeli SIM cards.

The fatalities underscored the lack of protections in the occupied West Bank. Palestinians there don't have the kind of shelters found in most of Israel, where building codes have required them since the first Gulf War. Even in parts of Israel without home shelters — including many Arab-majority and Bedouin towns — public shelters are often available nearby.

Though not a target, Palestinians have watched missiles streak overhead each night and Israeli interceptors explode them above. Fragments have hit buildings, including last week outside the West Bank city Nablus, where they punched through a three-story house while its owner was at evening prayers.

Abedullraziq Almasalmeh, a neighbor and relative of the four women killed, heard missiles whoosh and then boom, his house shaking as he reached to dial for ambulances after 10 p.m. Wednesday.

Their drive should've been less than 10 minutes but took 25, he said, leaving victims waiting during critical early moments.

The Palestinian Red Crescent blamed an Israeli gate near Negohot that diverted ambulances. “This forced closure caused significant delays, compelling ambulances to take long, rugged alternative routes, which critically impacted the ‘golden hour’ essential for life-saving interventions,” it said in a statement.

Before the beauty salon strike, the group had warned that gates were increasingly preventing them from reaching emergencies.

Qusai Jabr, the manager of the group’s disaster risk management department, told The Associated Press that in the first week of the war alone, delays affected response calls to women in labor, seniors suffering strokes and victims of settler attacks.

Israeli authorities have not imposed the kind of full lockdown seen during last year’s 12-day war with Iran. But the proliferation of hundreds more gates has made travel just as, if not more, difficult. Jabr said there were about 800 gates during last year’s war and now there are roughly 1,100, both manned and unmanned.

The nature of the strike Wednesday was unclear. Israel’s military called it a direct hit by an Iranian missile, rather than fallen intercepted debris. It said it was a cluster munition, which explodes midair and disperses smaller bomblets across wide areas, trading precision for coverage. The Palestinian Authority's Interior Ministry called it a fallen interceptor, referring to Israel's air defenses that shoot down Iranian missiles. Iran’s government has not commented.

Regardless, in Beit Awa, it was merely the latest trauma. The town overlooking the concrete barrier separating Palestinian towns from Israel has struggled economically since Israel revoked tens of thousands of Palestinian work permits after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack and the ensuing war in Gaza.

The surrounding Hebron Hills have long been a hot spot for settler violence and rights groups say settlers have taken advantage of the uncertainty of the war to ramp up attacks.

The Israeli rights group Yesh Din said last week it had documented more than 100 incidents across West Bank communities throughout the Iran war.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has reported 18 Palestinians killed by Israeli settlers and soldiers in the West Bank since the start of 2026, including a 27-year-old man killed by a settler in nearby Masafer Yatta less than two weeks ago.

For many in the area, including funeralgoers in Beit Awa, the feeling of being geographically between Israel and Iran has been inescapable.

“We’re between two fires,” Mahmoud Sweity said.

Palestinians inspect the damage at a beauty salon after a deadly Iranian strike in the West Bank village of Beit Awa, near Hebron, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Blood is seen on the floor of a beauty salon damaged in a deadly Iranian strike in the West Bank village of Beit Awa, near Hebron, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Palestinian men pray during the funeral of three Palestinian women who were killed in an Iranian strike in the West Bank village of Beit Awa, near Hebron, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Palestinian women mourn during the funeral of three Palestinian women who were killed in an Iranian strike in the West Bank village of Beit Awa, near Hebron, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Palestinians carry the body of Palestinian woman who killed in an Iranian strike, in the West Bank village of Beit Awa, near Hebron, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Palestinians inspect the damage at a beauty salon after a deadly Iranian strike in the West Bank village of Beit Awa, near Hebron, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

A bloodied shoe is seen among rubble at a beauty salon damaged in a deadly Iranian strike in the West Bank village of Beit Awa, near Hebron, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Palestinians inspect the damage at a beauty salon after a deadly Iranian strike in the West Bank village of Beit Awa, near Hebron, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — After a four-year break, K-pop supergroup BTS returns Saturday with a massive, free comeback concert in Seoul, where thousands of police are locking down a central boulevard for the Netflix-exclusive spectacle expected to draw tens of thousands of fans.

The performance at Gwanghwamun Square launches a monthslong global tour spanning dozens of shows across the United States, Europe and Asia.

All seven members of the band — RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook — recently completed South Korea’s mandatory military service, and hope to reclaim their status as one of the world's biggest pop acts.

The hourlong concert comes a day after the group released its fifth album, “ARIRANG,” which had already logged several million preorder sales since January.

The band’s management company, HYBE, said RM injured his ankle during a rehearsal Thursday but was expected to perform with some limitations.

Officials expect the BTS concert to draw more than 200,000 people to the Gwanghwamun area, including 22,000 fans who secured free seats in the designated viewing zone and others planning to watch on screens nearby. It will be streamed live on Netflix.

“It will be amazing because it’s been so long that BTS (was) not with us,” said Dallila Di Tullio, a 32-year old fan from Italy, who called the concert a once-in-a-century event. Marta Corona, a 25-year-old Polish fan, said she would be seeing BTS in person for the first time since a 2019 performance in London. “It’s been a while — I’m very excited,” she said.

BTS debuted in 2013 and has a legion of global supporters who call themselves the “Army.” It became the first K-pop act to top Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in 2020 with their first all-English song “Dynamite.”

Jung Dukhyun, a pop culture commentator, said that the impact of the BTS returning as a full-group after years of pause would be tremendous at a time when global fandom for K-pop has grown much stronger, as shown by the success of Netflix’s animated sensation, “KPop Demon Hunters.”

Police and city officials are imposing stringent crowd-control measures, closing nearby streets, roads and museums, halting the area’s subway and bus services, and sealing off dozens of surrounding buildings, in what amounts to a full-day shutdown of the district.

Cars will be barred from the main road between Gwanghwamun and Seoul City Hall for more than 30 hours through Sunday morning. The government has stepped up anti-terror monitoring, citing global tensions and large crowds of international fans, while police deployed surveillance vehicles and jamming equipment to block unauthorized drones. The restrictions have forced nearby shops to close and deliveries to pause.

While South Korean officials have taken crowd safety more seriously since a deadly 2022 Halloween surge that killed nearly 160 people, critics say the controls are excessive and undercut the symbolism of performing in Gwanghwamun, seen as Seoul’s spiritual heart and most prominent gathering space.

Hundreds of thousands have gathered in Gwanghwamun in recent years to mourn, protest and celebrate as the country weathered tragedy and political upheaval. The BTS concert comes about a year after waves of demonstrators filled the area, calling for the ouster of then-President Yoon Suk Yeol over his brief imposition of martial law in December 2024. Those monthslong rallies were marked by a festive atmosphere and a striking blend of politics and pop culture, with protesters singing and waving colorful K-pop light sticks, and ended without major safety accidents.

The new BTS album, “ARIRANG,” draws on a centuries-old folk song regarded as an unofficial anthem in both North and South Korea while Gwanghwamun and nearby Gyeongbok Palace form a sweeping historic backdrop to Saturday’s show.

South Korean officials are counting on the event to promote the country’s culture and growing soft power. In a statement Wednesday, President Lee Jae Myung said the BTS performance would provide “a special moment that people around the world will remember for long.”

“While one pillar of the album is defined by BTS’ identity, the other is shaped by the emotions they feel in the present, specifically universal sentiments such as joy, pleasure, and profound love,” HYBE said in response to questions from The Associated Press.

The 14-track record, with lead single “SWIM,” was recorded in Los Angeles as the group reconvened after years apart.

The group's comeback follows a nearly four-year hiatus driven by South Korea’s mandatory military service, which requires most able-bodied men to serve 18 to 21 months under a conscription system aimed at deterring aggression from North Korea. BTS members began serving in 2022, with Suga the last to complete his service in June 2025.

Despite their yearslong break, experts say BTS’s outlook remains strong, backed by its massive fandom and the continuous global rise of K-pop. South Korea’s SK Securities said Wednesday the group’s “ARIRANG” world tour is likely to become the biggest K-pop tour ever by scale and revenue, with 82 shows planned globally in stadiums of around 50,000 seats.

“They had a fairly long hiatus but still have a historically powerful fandom. As they come back, they’ll likely immediately enjoy a warm welcome and intense fever around the world,” said Ha Jae-keun, a cultural critic. “I think they’ll likely have a second heyday.”

__ AP video journalists Yong Jun Chang and Yong-ho Kim contributed.

People pass by a banner for BTS ahead of a comeback concert of the K-pop band near Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Drones fly in the shape of the K-pop band BTS's member RM during a drone light show to celebrate the comeback of the K-pop band BTS at a park along the Han River in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Drones light up the night sky during a drone light show to celebrate the comeback of the K-pop band BTS at a park along the Han River in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A stage for a comeback concert of K-pop band BTS is seen at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A fan of K-pop band BTS reads a newspaper reporting the comeback of BTS before a drone light show to celebrate, at a park along the Han River in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Walls are decorated by pictures of K-pop band BTS at Yoojung Sikdang, a restaurant in Seoul where BTS members frequently ate during their trainee days, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Juwon Park)

Letters, photographs, and trinkets from around the world, are displayed at Cafe HYUGA, a former trainee dormitory for K-pop band BTS, now converted into a cafe, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Juwon Park)

A logo of K-pop band BTS is displayed at Sungnyemun Gate in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 20, 2026, ahead of their comeback concert. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

FILE - Korean group BTS appears at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

Workers adjust a banner promoting a comeback concert of K-pop boy group BTS on the government complex building near Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)