Politics Israeli army begins large-scale operation in the West Bank

Israel has launched a large-scale military operation in the northern West Bank in which, according to official Palestinian reports, at least nine people have been killed so far. According to the army, it entered several towns during the night, including Tulkarem and Jenin.

According to media reports, the military deployed numerous infantrymen as well as drones and snipers, destroyed infrastructure with bulldozers and closed all access roads to Jenin. There were firefights with armed Palestinians. Several wanted Palestinians were arrested.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the West Bank, seven dead people were taken to hospital in Tubas, also in the northern West Bank. The ministry also confirmed two deaths in Jenin.

According to Israeli and Palestinian media, the forces also surrounded hospitals in both cities and blocked ambulances. An Israeli army spokesperson said that the army was controlling access to the hospital buildings to prevent militants from entrenching themselves there.

Army: military operation due to increase in attacks

The spokesman said that the reason for the operation was a recent significant increase in the number of attacks on Israelis originating in the northern West Bank. He also referred to the recent explosion of an explosive device in Tel Aviv, in which the attacker was killed and a passer-by injured.

According to Israel, the target of the large-scale operation, particularly in Jenin and Tulkarem, is a terrorist network supported by Iran. Both cities are considered strongholds of militant Palestinians. Since the beginning of the Gaza war almost eleven months ago, around 150 attacks with firearms and explosive devices have been carried out against Israelis from there alone, said the military spokesman.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote on X: "We must deal with the threat in the same way as we deal with the terror infrastructure in Gaza, including the temporary evacuation of Palestinian civilians." It is "a war in every sense of the word, and we must win". The army spokesman said that he was not aware of any plans to evacuate the civilian population in the northern West Bank.

Report: Military operation in the West Bank could last for days

According to the Times of Israel, the military operation could last even longer. According to sources in the army, it is set to last several days.

"Since last night, the Israeli army has been taking action with all its might in the Jenin and Tulkarem refugee camps against an Islamist-Iranian terrorist network," wrote Foreign Minister Katz. Iran is working to "build an eastern terror front against Israel in Judea and Samaria (West Bank) by financing and arming terrorists and smuggling advanced weapons via Jordan, similar to its efforts in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon".

The already tense situation in the occupied West Bank has worsened significantly since the Hamas massacre with 1,200 deaths on October 7, 2023 and the resulting Gaza war. According to the Ministry of Health in Ramallah, more than 630 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military operations, armed clashes and attacks by extremists since then.

The Israeli army has repeatedly raided Jenin and Tulkarem in particular. According to the Ministry of Health, five people were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the refugee district of Nur Shams in Tulkarem on Monday. According to the Israeli army, the bombing targeted militant Palestinians.

Efforts for Gaza ceasefire continue

Meanwhile, the fighting in the Gaza Strip continues, as do efforts to achieve a ceasefire and release the remaining hostages held by Hamas.

An Israeli delegation was due to travel to Doha for further talks on an agreement with Hamas. The indirect negotiations, in which Qatar, Egypt and the USA are mediating between the parties to the conflict, have been at a standstill for months.