Nine Palestinians were killed in a significant Israeli military operation in the West Bank cities of Jenin and Tulkarm, involving helicopters and drones.
Bollywood Fever: At least nine Palestinians were killed on Wednesday, according to Palestinian authorities, as Israeli forces conducted extensive raids in the flashpoint cities of Jenin and Tulkarm, as well as other areas in the occupied West Bank. The major operation, which involved the use of helicopters and drones, is one of the largest seen in the West Bank in recent months.
This assault follows a series of smaller raids in the area as Israeli forces have sought to dismantle groups of fighters from Palestinian militant organizations. The operation comes at a time when Israeli forces are also engaged in battles with Hamas fighters in Gaza and are facing escalating tensions with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement in southern Lebanon. Wednesday’s operation highlighted the multiple security threats Israel has been confronting since the start of the Gaza conflict last year.
The armed wings of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Fatah issued separate statements claiming that their gunmen were detonating bombs against Israeli military vehicles in the three West Bank areas. By midday, Jenin was relatively quiet, but in the densely populated refugee camp adjacent to the city, occasional explosions could still be heard.
Outside the city, evidence of the conflict was visible, with blood staining the ground next to a damaged car and an impact crater from a drone strike that the Israeli military said killed three militant fighters. The Palestinian health ministry reported that Israeli troops had surrounded Jenin’s main hospital, blocking access with earth mounds—a measure the military stated was intended to prevent fighters from seeking refuge.
A military spokesperson said that Wednesday’s operation was in response to a sharp increase in militant activity over recent months, with over 150 attacks involving shootings or explosives originating from Tulkarm and Jenin in the past year. The military assessed that there was an “immediate threat” to civilians and that the operation was part of a broader strategy to prevent further attacks.
“This terror threat in this area is not new, it hasn’t started yesterday and it’s not going to end tomorrow,” Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani told reporters during a briefing.
Earlier, the military released the names of five Palestinians identified as militant fighters who were killed in Tulkarm on Monday. Two were affiliated with Hamas, while three were members of Islamic Jihad.
In addition to the major raids in Jenin and Tulkarm, Israeli forces also conducted an operation in the town of Far’a near Tubas in the Jordan Valley, where at least four people were killed in a drone strike. Masoud Naaja, the father of two young men killed in the strike, described the attack: “In seconds, very fast, we felt like something came down on us from the sky and there was an explosion,” he said. “When I put my hand on my chest, it was full of shrapnel and blood.”
Violence in the West Bank has sharply escalated since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Israel, which accuses Iran of providing weapons and support to militant factions, has intensified its operations, while Jewish settlers have also launched frequent vigilante-style attacks on Palestinian communities.
Thousands of Palestinians have been arrested in raids, and more than 660—both fighters and civilians—have been killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since the Gaza war began nearly 11 months ago, according to Palestinian Health Ministry figures. During the same period, at least 30 Israelis have been killed in attacks in Jerusalem and the West Bank, according to Israeli reports.
The latest cycle of Israeli-Palestinian violence began on October 7, after Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures. In response, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has devastated large portions of the enclave, displacing nearly all of its 2.3 million residents, creating a humanitarian crisis, and killing over 40,500 people, according to Palestinian health officials.
As the conflict continues, internationally mediated talks aimed at ending the violence have yet to yield significant progress. Hamas and Israel continue to trade blame for the lack of a ceasefire, though the United States has expressed optimism that a resolution may be within reach.
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