Israeli forces launched raids and airstrikes Wednesday in the occupied West Bank killing at least nine Palestinian militants and surrounding the volatil
Israeli forces launched raids and airstrikes Wednesday in the occupied West Bank, killing at least nine Palestinian militants and surrounding the volatile city of Jenin.
The Israeli military said “large forces” had entered Jenin, long a militant stronghold, as well as Tulkarem and the Al-Faraa refugee camps, which date back to the 1948 Mideast war, all in the northern West Bank.
Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani, a military spokesman, said Israeli forces killed nine militants, including three in an airstrike in Tulkarem and four in an airstrike in Al-Faraa. He said another five suspected militants were arrested, and that the raids were the first stage of an even larger operation.
Hamas said 10 of its fighters had been killed in the West Bank fighting, while Palestinian militant groups said they were exchanging fire with Israeli troops.
Israeli forces surrounded Jenin, blocked exit and entry points and access to hospitals, and ripped up infrastructure in the camp, Jenin Governor Kamal Abu al-Rub told Palestinian radio.
The Palestinian Health Ministry in the West Bank said Israeli forces blocked roads leading to a hospital with dirt barriers and surrounded other medical facilities in Jenin. Shoshani said the military was trying to prevent militants from taking shelter in hospitals.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday on the X social media platform, ‘We must deal with the threat just as we deal with the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza, including the temporary evacuation of Palestinian residents and whatever steps might be required. This is a war in every respect, and we must win it.’ He accused Iran of financing and arming militants in the West Bank.
Throughout Israel’s 10½-month war against Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza, Israeli forces have repeatedly conducted raids in the West Bank.
Israeli troops and settlers have killed more than 640 Palestinians in the West Bank since the Gaza war began last October, while Palestinian attacks have killed at least 19 Israelis.
