West BankThe Israeli military said Thursday its troops killed five Palestinian fighters, including a senior commander, who were hiding in a mosque in the occupied West Bank town of Tulkarem, as part of one of the biggest attacks on the territory in months. This came a day after the army shot dead 12 militants in simultaneous raids in several incursions across the West Bank.
“Following an exchange of fire, the forces eliminated five terrorists who had hidden inside a mosque in Tulkarem,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said. Israel said one of the fighters killed in the attack was Muhhamad Jabber, also known as ‘Abu Shujaa’, who was the head of a terrorist network in the Nur Shams area.
“He participated in carrying out numerous terrorist attacks, including a shooting attack in which an Israeli civilian, Amnon Muchtar, was killed in June. He was eliminated along with four other terrorists who were hiding inside a mosque in Tulkarem,” the Israeli military said in a statement. At least 16 people have been killed since Israel launched simultaneous raids as part of an anti-terror operation backed by helicopters and drones on Wednesday.
Islamic Jihad reacts to the death of a Palestinian commander
Meanwhile, the Tulkarm division of Islamic Jihad’s armed wing said its fighters managed to ambush an infantry force in the Manshiyya axis behind the Abu Ubaida mosque in response to the killing of its leader. The militant group claimed to have scored “direct hits” against Israeli troops after detonating an explosive device near them.
The armed wings of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah factions said in separate statements on Wednesday that their gunmen were detonating bombs targeting Israeli military vehicles in Jenin, Tulkarem and Far’a, a town in the Jordan Valley. The Palestinian Health Ministry said Israeli troops had surrounded Jenin’s main hospital, blocking access with mounds of earth, a move the military said was aimed at preventing fighters from seeking shelter.
The situation in the West Bank today
Residents of Tulkarem woke up to gunfire and explosions after the Israeli attack. “The civil defence came to put out the fire and they (Israeli forces) did not let them through. We broke the bathroom window and got out. My wife’s shoulder and arm were burned. Thank God it was just like that, they didn’t warn us in advance or anything. I don’t know why they are treating us like this,” said a Palestinian resident of Tulkarem after the attack on the mosque.
The city of Jenin, which had been completely sealed off by Israeli troops the day before, was empty and its streets littered with rubbish. There was also a complete network blackout at Jawwal, one of the two main telecommunications companies in the Palestinian territories of Gaza and the West Bank, a Reuters witness said. Hundreds of Israeli troops searched ambulances in the deserted streets of the city and outside Jenin’s main hospital for militants.
Why has Israel launched attacks in the West Bank?
Israel has stepped up its operations in the West Bank since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out on October 7, while Jewish settlers have also launched frequent vigilante-style attacks on Palestinian communities. Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said the operation was the result of an uptick in militant activities in recent months, with more than 150 shooting or explosive attacks from Tulkarm and Jenin in the past year.
Israel has accused Iran of supporting militants in the West Bank, with Israeli journalist Israel Katz calling the latest operation a “war in every sense.” He accused Iran of destabilizing the West Bank and the Jordan Valley, as it did in Gaza and Lebanon, where Israel exchanges fire almost daily with Hamas and Hezbollah militants, backed by Tehran.
Thousands of Palestinians have been rounded up in raids and more than 660 — fighters and civilians — have been killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since the war began. At least 30 Israelis have been killed in attacks in Jerusalem and the West Bank during the period, according to Israeli counts. Hamas has called on West Bank Palestinians to revolt, saying the raids are part of a broader plan to expand the war in Gaza and blaming the escalation on U.S. support for Israel.
(with contributions from the agency)
Disclaimer:
The information contained in this post is for general information purposes only. We make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the post for any purpose.
We respect the intellectual property rights of content creators. If you are the owner of any material featured on our website and have concerns about its use, please contact us. We are committed to addressing any copyright issues promptly and will remove any material within 2 days of receiving a request from the rightful owner.