Israeli Forces Conduct Major Operation in West Bank, Killing at Least 10 Hamas Militants

Israeli forces launched a large military operation in the occupied West Bank overnight, claiming the lives of at least 10 Hamas militants and a series of arrests as they sealed off the tense city of Jenin, The Associated Press reports.

This operation is one of the largest in recent months in the Hamas-Israel conflict as it continues beyond Gaza.

According to Israeli military officials, the campaign aims to root out militant activity in the West Bank in a bid to thwart potential attacks against Israel. However, many Palestinians view these actions as a broader strategy to escalate the conflict and displace them from their desired territories for a future state.

Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, spokesperson for the Israeli military, confirmed that “large forces” had entered Jenin, a known militant stronghold, along with operations in Tulkarem and the Al-Faraa refugee camp, which dates back to the 1948 Middle Eastern conflict. Israeli airstrikes in Tulkarem and Al-Faraa reportedly killed three and four militants, respectively. Additional operations led to the arrest of five suspected militants, with authorities saying that these raids mark the initial phase of an even larger operation.

Palestinian officials have reported that four Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire in Jenin amidst the operation. Hamas later announced that 10 of its fighters had died in the West Bank during this escalation, including at least three from the group who were killed in Jenin. The Israeli military maintained that all those killed were militants.

The governor of Jenin, Kamal Abu al-Rub, reported that Israeli forces had effectively surrounded the city, blocking all entry and exit points, restricting access to hospitals, and damaging infrastructure within the camp. The Palestinian Health Ministry said that Israeli forces had constructed dirt barriers to obstruct roads leading to medical facilities and had encircled other hospitals in Jenin.

According to Shoshani, these actions were intended to preclude militants from using hospitals as shelter. In response, Hamas has urged Palestinians in the West Bank to rise up, alleging that the recent raids are part of a broader strategy to expand the war in Gaza. The militant group also criticized US support for Israel, calling on security forces aligned with the Western-backed Palestinian Authority to “join the sacred battle of our people.”

Following these developments, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an immediate cessation of Israeli operations in the West Bank. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, at least 652 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed by Israeli fire since the onset of the war in Gaza over 10 months ago, with many of these casualties occurring during raids that frequently incite armed confrontations with militants.