Israel extends war to West Bank, Hamas accuses

Al Faraa refugee camp. Israel reported that it launched a military operation last Tuesday anti-terrorist in the reoccupied West Bank that left the volatile city of Jenin isolated and left 11 Palestinians dead, while Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz called for evacuate temporarily that part of the territory of Palestine.

Since the war in the Gaza Strip broke out on October 7, 2023, Tel Aviv has carried out almost daily raids in the West Bank under the pretext of eliminating insurgents to prevent attacks against its citizens; however, Palestinians fear that the campaign seeks to expel them.

Numerous forces Israelis entered Jenin, which has been a stronghold of militants for years, as well as Tulkarem and the al-Faraa refugee camp, which was established in the 1948 war, all in the northern West Bank, said Nadav Shoshani, an army spokesman.

The dead were militants, the spokesman said, adding that three were killed in an airstrike in Tulkarem and four others in a similar operation in al-Faraa. Five more were arrested in the first phase of a broader operation to prevent attacks against Israelis, he warned.

Hamas announced that 10 of its fighters were killed in the West Bank. Palestinian insurgent groups reported that they were exchanging fire with the Israeli army.

The Ministry of Health confirmed last night that 11 Palestinians had been killed in the offensive, with around twenty wounded, in a provisional report.

Jenin Governor Kamal Abu Rub told Palestinian radio that Israeli forces had surrounded the city, blocked access points and destroyed infrastructure.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote in X: We must deal with the threat just as we do with the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza, including the temporary evacuation of Palestinian residents and whatever other measures are necessary. This is a war in every sense, and we must win it.Meanwhile, Lieutenant Colonel Shoshani said there were no plans to evacuate the civilian population.

Hamas called on Palestinians in the West Bank to rise up and said the raids were part of a broader plan to expand the war in Gaza, blaming the escalation on US support for Israel. Hamas called on security forces loyal to the Western-backed Palestinian National Authority (PNA) – which cooperates with Israel – to join in. to the sacred battle of our people.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, condemned the raids, calling them serious escalation and called for US intervention. Abbas cut short his visit to Saudi Arabia to return to the West Bank, the seat of his government.

At least 652 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank since the Gaza war began more than 10 months ago, according to the health ministry.

Meanwhile, the United Nations (UN) denounced Tel Aviv’s attack, stressing that risks seriously aggravating an already catastrophic situation with these operations, which, in addition, violate international lawand demanded that responsibilities be clarified.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged a immediate cessation of large-scale Israeli operations in the northern West Bank, as these developments raise tensions.

The US government announced new sanctions linked to the violence against civilians in the West Bank, singling out Yitzhak Levi Filant, the coordinator of civilian security for the Yitzhar settlement, and the Hashomer Yosh NGO, accused of providing material support to radical settlers. These measures were announced by State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.

In Gaza, eight Palestinians were killed and several wounded in an Israeli airstrike near the Al Manfalouti School in the eastern city of Deir Balah, security sources said.

Over the past 24 hours, the Israeli army has killed 58 people and wounded 131, bringing the total number of dead since the conflict began to 40,534 and the number of wounded to 93,778.

A United Nations vehicle that was part of a humanitarian convoy clearly A man identified with the organization’s emblems was hit by gunfire from the Israel Defense Forces, said Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary General.