In a continuation of its military activities, Israel encounteres and eliminates two suspected bombers in the West Bank region.
One of the deceased individuals was linked to a botched bombing attempt in a car near the Israeli town of Gush Etzion, situated south of Jerusalem, the Israeli military reported. The incident occurred when a car bomb detonated at a gas station on Saturday evening, resulting in injuries to a soldier and a reserve officer serving as a security guard.
The second fatality took place in the settlement of Karmei Zur, north of Hebron, on Saturday night, as per the military's announcement. During a pursuit, the security chief's car of the settlement collided with the suspected assailant's vehicle. He was subsequently neutralized. The Israeli army revealed that an explosion from an explosive device in the suspect's vehicle took place during the collision.
The militant organization Hamas, engaged in conflict with Israel in the Gaza Strip, hailed it as a "valiant operation" in the southern portion of the occupied West Bank. Islamic Jihad, an affiliate of Hamas, acknowledged the attackers and referred to it as a "coordinated assault."
The Israeli military initiated its mission in the West Bank on Wednesday, emphasizing actions aimed at "countering terrorism." Roughly 20 Palestinians have lost their lives thus far, with Hamas and Islamic Jihad acknowledging that at least 13 of the deceased were their members.
Israeli soldiers withdrew from several Palestinian cities on Thursday evening, but clashes continued in Jenin, a long-time stronghold of militant Palestinians. On Saturday, armored Israeli vehicles were still visible in largely deserted Jenin streets, and gunfire could be heard, as reported by a photographer for the news agency AFP.
A polio vaccination campaign commenced in the Gaza Strip, led by the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry, UN Palestinian aid agency UNRWA, and other relief organizations. The vaccinations commenced in the center of Gaza, according to Hamas Health Ministry, and are planned to continue in the south and finally in the northern Palestinian territories.
Israel had agreed to "humanitarian pauses" for polio vaccinations in the Gaza Strip conflict just a few days prior. Previously, a case of polio paralysis in a baby from the Gaza Strip was confirmed for the first time in 25 years.
The conflict in Gaza, instigated by the unexpectedly large-scale assault by Hamas, identified as a terrorist organization by the US and EU, and other Islamic combatants on Israel on October 7, resulted in the death of 1,199 individuals and the capture of 251 others by Israel.
In response, Israel has been undertaking extensive military operations in the Gaza Strip. According to Hamas's unverified data, over 40,600 individuals have been killed since then.
The situation in the West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967, has also worsened since the commencement of the war between Israel and the radical Islamic Palestine-based organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip. According to UN statistics from Wednesday, at least 637 Palestinians and 19 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the beginning of the Gaza war.
The European Union has expressed its concern over the escalating violence in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, calling for a de-escalation of tensions and a resumption of peace talks. The European Union is also providing humanitarian aid to Palestinians affected by the conflict, including funding for a polio vaccination campaign in Gaza.
