Israel yesterday launched raids across the occupied West Bank, in which its forces killed at least nine Palestinians and sealed off the volatile city of Jenin, Palestinian officials said.
Israel has carried out near-daily raids across the West Bank since Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7 last year triggered the ongoing war.
Palestinian militant groups said they were exchanging fire with the Israeli military.
Photo: AFP
Jenin Governor Kamal Abu al-Rub said on Palestinian radio that Israeli forces had surrounded the city, blocking exit and entry points and access to hospitals, and ripping up infrastructure in the camp.
The Israeli military confirmed it was operating in the West Bank cities of Jenin and Tulkarem, but did not provide further details.
At least 652 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed by Israeli fire since the war in Gaza began more than 10 months ago, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said.
Most have died during such raids, which often trigger clashes with militants.
Israel said the operations are required to dismantle Hamas and other militant groups, and to prevent attacks on Israelis, which have also risen since the start of the war.
The Palestinian ministry said the bodies of seven people were taken to the hospital in Tubas, another West Bank city, and another two were taken to the hospital in Jenin.
The ministry identified two killed in Jenin as Qassam Jabarin, 25, and Asem Balout, 39.
Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War. The Palestinians want all three for a future state.
Israel has built scores of settlements across the West Bank, which are home to more than 500,000 Jewish settlers. They have Israeli citizenship, while the 3 million Palestinians in the West Bank live under Israeli military rule, with the Palestinian Authority exercising limited control over population centers.
The war in Gaza erupted on Oct. 7 last year when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel and rampaged through army bases and farming communities, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting about 250.
The militants are still holding about 110 hostages, about one-third of whom are believed to be dead, after most of the rest were released during a ceasefire in November last year.
Israel responded with an offensive that has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to the Palestinian ministry, which does not say how many were militants.
About 90 percent of Gaza’s population has been displaced, often multiple times, and Israeli bombardment and ground operations have caused vast destruction.
Israeli strikes in Gaza overnight and into yesterday killed at least 16 people, including five women and three children. Most of the strikes were in or near the southern city of Khan Younis, which has come under heavy bombardment over the past two months.
Associated Press reporters at two hospitals confirmed the toll.
The US, Qatar and Egypt have spent months trying to mediate a ceasefire that would see the remaining hostages released. However, the talks have repeatedly bogged down as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed “total victory” over Hamas and the militant group has demanded a lasting ceasefire and a full withdrawal from the territory.
There was no sign of a breakthrough after days of talks in Egypt, and the negotiations move to Qatar this week.
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