Israeli military launches major West Bank operation

At least nine Palestinians have been killed in a significant operation conducted by Israeli forces in the northern part of the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Israeli security forces stated that they initiated a "counterterrorism operation" in Jenin and Tulkarm overnight, during which they reported killing "five armed terrorists from the air and ground." Additionally, they said that another four individuals were killed in an airstrike during a simultaneous operation in the al-Faraa refugee camp near Tubas.

Local journalists remarked that they had not witnessed an operation of this magnitude in the West Bank since the days of the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, two decades ago.

This escalation in violence follows the deadly attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7 and the subsequent war in Gaza. Since then, there has been an increase in clashes in the West Bank, with hundreds of Palestinians killed as Israeli forces have intensified their raids, which they claim are aimed at preventing deadly Palestinian attacks on Israelis in the West Bank and Israel.

Israeli media reported that hundreds of Israeli forces were active in at least four cities in the northern West Bank—Jenin, Tulkarm, Tubas, and Nablus. On Wednesday morning, the Palestinian health ministry reported that seven bodies had been brought to Tubas governmental hospital and two others to Jenin governmental hospital.

A spokesman for the Palestinian Red Crescent reported that at least 10 people had been killed across the West Bank—two in Jenin, four in a strike on a car in a nearby village, and four others in the al-Faraa refugee camp near Tubas. However, the actual number could be higher, with the governor of Jenin earlier stating that at least 11 people had been killed, and Palestinian ambulance crews reporting they were being blocked from reaching the casualties.

In Jenin, a frequent flashpoint, Israeli troops blocked all but one of the city's entrances and set up checkpoints. The health ministry stated that Israeli forces had also surrounded Jenin government hospital, the nearby Ibn Sina hospital, the Palestinian Red Crescent headquarters, and the Friends of the Patients society. The ministry warned that any storming of these hospitals would endanger the lives of patients and medical staff inside.

A local journalist inside the government hospital told the BBC, "At this moment, there are patients that are leaving the hospital but after the IDF checks their IDs. It's a scary situation." The health ministry also accused the Israeli forces of obstructing ambulance services, a violation of international law.

Israeli forces have also been conducting searches in Jenin refugee camp, a known base for armed groups and the site of numerous past gun battles. A resident of the camp reported hearing explosions and drones overhead but noted no visible sign of armed resistance against the Israeli forces. He also said Israeli armored bulldozers had destroyed the main street through the camp and piled rubble at the entrance to block access.

“In the area of Jenin, three armed terrorists who posed a threat to the security forces were eliminated in an aerial strike,” stated a joint announcement from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Shin Bet domestic security agency, and Israel Border Police. “Additionally, in the areas of Jenin and Tulkarm, the forces eliminated two other armed terrorists, apprehended wanted suspects, and seized weapons including M-16s, ammunition, and additional military equipment.” The forces also reported discovering and dismantling explosives planted under local roads intended to target them.

During the simultaneous operation in al-Faraa refugee camp near Tubas, the IDF claimed that “an aircraft struck and eliminated four armed terrorists that posed a threat to the forces,” and that ground forces confiscated additional weapons. Masoud Naaja, a resident, recounted how two of his children were killed and one injured in the strike, which occurred as he was giving water to some men near his home. "In seconds, very fast, we felt like something came down on us from the sky and there was an explosion," he told Reuters. "When I put my hand on my chest, it was full of shrapnel and blood." He described finding his house damaged and his wife discovering two of their children dead on the rooftop and one injured.

A woman in Tubas told the BBC that Israeli forces were "bringing more and more military vehicles and bulldozers" into al-Faraa refugee camp. "We are all on edge and waiting to see if there will be any escalation," she said.

IDF spokesman Lt Col Nadav Shoshani stated that the forces were targeting "a mixture of terror groups and terror cells" but declined to specify the operation's duration or the number of troops involved.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz issued a strong statement, saying the military was acting with “full force” in Jenin and Tulkarm to “dismantle Iranian-Islamic terror infrastructures” established there. He accused Iran, which supports Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, of trying to “establish an eastern terror front” by funding and smuggling advanced weapons from Jordan. Katz emphasized the need to address this threat with the same determination as the threat from Gaza, including “temporary evacuation of Palestinian residents,” a stance not previously stated in an official capacity.

A spokesman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas warned that the escalating Israeli raids in the West Bank, coupled with the Gaza war, would “lead to dire and dangerous results for which everyone will pay the price.” Nabil Abu Rudeineh called for urgent international action to “curb this extremist [Israeli] government that poses a threat to the stability of the region and the entire world.”

Hamas, a bitter rival of Abbas's Fatah movement, condemned the Israeli operation, labeling it part of the “brutal genocidal war in Gaza.”

The UN Human Rights Office had earlier condemned the “increasingly military response” of Israeli forces in the West Bank, asserting that it was “in a manner which violates international law and risks further inflaming an already explosive situation.” Last Wednesday, the UN reported that 607 Palestinians, including members of armed groups, attackers, and civilians, had been killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since October 7. The UN added that 589 of these were killed by Israeli forces and 11 by Israeli settlers. During the same period, 15 Israelis, including nine security personnel and five settlers, were killed by Palestinians in the West Bank, while 10 Israelis were killed in Israel by Palestinians from the West Bank.

Since Israel's occupation of the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East war, about 160 settlements housing approximately 700,000 Jews have been established. These settlements are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.