At least nine Palestinians killed as Israel mounts major West Bank
operation
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[August 28, 2024]
By Ali Sawafta
JENIN, West Bank (Reuters) - At least nine Palestinians were killed on
Wednesday, Palestinian authorities said, as Israeli forces raided the
flashpoint cities of Jenin and Tulkarm as well as other areas in the
occupied West Bank in a major operation involving helicopters and
drones.
The assault, one of the largest seen in the West Bank for months,
followed a series of smaller raids in the area over recent weeks as
Israeli forces sought to crush groups of fighters from Palestinian
militant groups.
With Israeli forces battling Hamas fighters in Gaza and facing a major
escalation of tensions with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement in
southern Lebanon, Wednesday's operation underscored the multiple
security threats Israel has been battling since the start of the Gaza
war last year.
The armed wings of the Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah factions said in
separate statements their gunmen were detonating bombs against Israeli
military vehicles in the three West Bank areas.
By midday, the city of Jenin was relatively quiet but in the crowded
refugee camp, a heavily built up township adjacent to the main urban
area, occasional explosions could be heard.
A short distance outside the city, blood soaked the ground next to a
damaged car and an impact crater from a drone strike the Israeli
military said had killed three militant fighters.
The Palestinian health ministry said troops had surrounded Jenin's main
hospital, blocking off access with earth mounds - a measure the military
said was intended to stop fighters seeking refuge.
A military spokesperson said Wednesday's operation followed a sharp rise
in militant activity in recent months, with more than 150 attacks
involving shooting or explosives from Tulkarm and Jenin in the past
year.
He said the military assessed there was an "immediate threat" to
civilians but he said the operation was part of a broad strategy aimed
at thwarting 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 in a briefing.
Earlier, the military released the names of five Palestinians identified
as militant fighters who were killed in Tulkarm on Monday. Two were
claimed by Hamas and three by Islamic Jihad.
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Closed-circuit television footage shows Israeli military vehicles
travelling along a road as they operate in Jenin, in the
Israeli-occupied West Bank, August 28, 2024 in this screengrab
obtained from a social media video. Social Media/via REUTERS
'SOMETHING CAME DOWN FROM THE SKY'
As well as the major raids in Jenin and Tulkarm, two of the most
volatile cities in the northern West Bank, the military said forces
also raided the town of Far'a near Tubas in the Jordan Valley,
killing at least four people in a drone strike.
Masoud Naaja, the father of two young men killed in the strike, said
he was giving water to some men who asked for a drink when he was
wounded.
"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."
Clashes in the West Bank have risen sharply since the start of the
Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Israel, which says Iran has provided
weapons and support to the militant factions, has stepped up
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 - fighters and civilians - have been killed in the West Bank and
East Jerusalem since the war in Gaza began nearly 11 months ago,
according to Palestinian Health Ministry figures.
At least 30 Israelis have been killed in attacks in Jerusalem and
the West Bank during the period, according to Israeli tallies.
The latest round of Israeli-Palestinian violence began on Oct. 7
after Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel, killing 1,200
and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
Israel's Gaza campaign has since levelled swathes of the enclave,
displaced nearly all its 2.3 million people multiple times, given
rise to deadly hunger and disease and killed more than 40,500
people, Palestinian health officials say.
Internationally mediated talks to end the conflict continue, with
Hamas and Israel trading blame for a lack of progress, and the
United States expressing optimism that a ceasefire can be reached.
(Additional reporting by Ahmed Tolba, Nidal Al Mughrabi and Maytaal
Angel, writing by Nayera Abdallah; Editing by Michael Georgy,
Michael Perry and Ros Russell)
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