The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced that five militants, including a senior commander, were killed in an ongoing large-scale military operation in Tulkarm, a flashpoint city in the occupied West Bank. The operation, which began on Wednesday night, is the largest of its kind in the West Bank in recent years and has led to the deaths of 16 people, primarily militants, according to Israeli sources.
Among those killed was Mohammed Jaber, also known as Abu Shujaa, a prominent commander affiliated with the Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad. Jaber was reportedly killed during a firefight with Israeli forces in the Nur Shams refugee camp. The IDF stated that the militants were hiding inside a mosque at the time of the operation.
Israeli officials assert that these raids aim to prevent further attacks and dismantle militant networks in the West Bank, while Palestinian authorities and militant groups view the operations as an extension of the conflict in Gaza and an attempt to maintain Israeli control over the occupied territories.
The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that a total of 12 people have been killed in the West Bank since the operation began, though it did not specify whether all were combatants. Hamas and Islamic Jihad have both vowed retaliation for the killings, with Hamas warning that the deaths would “explode the volcano of anger in the West Bank.”
The raids have drawn international concern, with the United Nations, Jordan, and several European leaders calling for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the violence. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the loss of life, including that of children, and urged a return to negotiations aimed at achieving a two-state solution as the only viable path to lasting peace.
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