The Israeli army attacked from the air and on the ground. It penetrated the cities of Jenin, Tulkarm and several other cities in the West Bank on Wednesday, killing at least 10 Palestinians.
Wednesday's operation was the largest Israeli military assault on the West Bank in months. It comes as Israel battles Hamas in the Gaza Strip. It also deals with tensions with Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. It highlights the battles that the Tel Aviv government has faced since the outbreak of the Gaza war last year.
The armed groups Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah issued separate statements saying that fighters from each side blew up Israeli armored military vehicles in Jenin, Tulkarm and Far in the Jordan Valley.
Hamas runs the health ministry in Gaza. At least 10 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank during Israeli military operations. The occupation forces have also surrounded the main hospital in the city of Jenin. All entrances and exits are closed. The Israeli army claims that its mission is to prevent armed fighters from escaping and taking shelter in the hospital.
An Israeli military spokesman said Wednesday's operation was prompted by more than 150 shooting and bombing attacks in Tulkarm and Jenin over the past year, and that there was an “urgent threat” to the Israeli military to innocent civilians but that the operation was part of a strategy to reduce attacks in the area.
Violence has escalated in the West Bank since a war broke out between Israel and Hamas in Gaza on October 7 last year, with Israel accusing Iran of supplying weapons and supporting the militant group’s military wing. It has intensified its military operations in the West Bank. Jewish settlers in the area frequently carry out attacks on Palestinian communities.
Since the war between Israel and Hamas began nearly 11 months ago, thousands of Palestinians have been arrested and more than 660 killed in attacks in the West Bank, the Gaza Health Ministry said. The death toll was not broken down into armed militants and innocent civilians.
Israel says at least 30 Israelis have been killed in attacks in Jerusalem and the West Bank during the same period.
The latest round of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict began on October 7 last year when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages, according to the Israeli side. The Israeli military counterattack killed more than 40,500 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Israel and Hamas have traded accusations of obstructing ceasefire talks brokered by the United States, Egypt and Qatar.
- Source: Reuters
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