Israel kills Islamic militants in the West Bank

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) announced that they were members of the terrorist organization. According to the Ministry of Health in Ramallah, those killed were between 20 and 24 years old.

Israel's army confirmed the operation in a refugee neighborhood in Tulkarem in the northeast of the West Bank. An army aircraft "struck a terrorist cell in the Nur Shams area", according to the military. The terrorist group is said to have planted an explosive device when the Israeli attack hit them. Residents reported that a drone had fired a missile at the men.

Israeli media reported that the attack took place around 100 meters away from a place where an Israeli soldier was killed by a roadside bomb on Monday. Armed groups in the West Bank often hide explosive devices on roads in order to attack Israeli forces during their regular raids.

The situation in the West Bank has worsened significantly since the start of the Gaza war following the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023. Since then, 538 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military operations, confrontations or their own attacks in the West Bank, according to the Ministry of Health. Settler violence against Palestinians also increased again during this period.

Islamic Jihad, which is active in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, was also involved in the massacre in Israel around nine months ago. Members of the group also took hostages.

They also repeatedly fire rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel. However, the organization is considered less powerful than Hamas. Both are classified as terrorist organizations by the EU and the USA.