Israel initiates substantial military operation within the West Bank, according to Red Crescent's reports, resulting in fatalities.
**The Israeli armed forces declared on Wednesday morn that they were carrying out a "counter-terrorism operation" in Jenin and Tulkarem, located in the northern West Bank. Minister of Foreign Affairs Katz accused Iran of attempting to set up a "terrorist outpost resembling Gaza Strip and Lebanon" in the West Bank, serving as a base for Hezbollah militants, financed by Tehran, who have been launching nearly daily rocket attacks against Israel since the escalation of conflict in Gaza Strip. Katz also noticed that "high-tech weapons are being smuggled into the West Bank unlawfully from Jordan."
Israel, according to Katz, "must confront this threat with the same level of commitment as we approach dismantling terrorist infrastructure in Gaza Strip, even if it means evacuating residents temporarily and implementing all necessary actions." "This is a war, and we must win it," Katz concluded.
Israeli military operations in the West Bank, which have been under Israeli control since 1967, are not uncommon. Often, operations involve targeting refugee camps and villages from the sky, with the most recent incidents occurring in the northern part of the territory. However, simultaneous operations in multiple cities are rare, as was the case overnight into Wednesday.
The Palestinian Red Crescent initially reported ten casualties resulting from Israeli operations. A representative stated that two Palestinians were killed in Jenin, four in a nearby village, and four more in a refugee camp near Tubas. Ten injuries have been reported thus far.
The West Bank has seen a decline in stability since the beginning of the conflict between Israel and the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas in Gaza Strip. Based on a count by AFP based on Palestinian reports, at least 650 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli military operations or extremist settlers in the West Bank since Hamas attack on Israel on October 7. At least 19 Israelis have been killed by militant Palestinian attacks in the West Bank, as per Israeli reports.
Islamic Jihad, affiliated with Hamas and deeply rooted in the refugee camps in the northern West Bank, accused Israel of declaring an "open war" in a statement published on Wednesday. The attacks aim to "shift the focus of the conflict to the occupied West Bank," it said, in order to "create a new situation on the ground to annex the West Bank."
Hamas, whose popularity in the West Bank has grown since the beginning of the Gaza war, frequently calls for "uprising" in the territory. On Tuesday evening, the extremist Islamic organization urged the approximately three million Palestinians in the West Bank to respond to statements by Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel's ultranationalist security minister, who openly advocated for the annexation of the West Bank.
Fighters from Hamas initiated hostilities against Israel on October 7, resulting in 1,199 casualties, as per Israeli reports. An additional 251 individuals were taken hostage to the Gaza Strip. In response to the Hamas attack, Israel has since launched a large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip. According to Hamas, which cannot be independently verified, over 40,500 people have been killed since then.
The following Israeli operations in Jenin, Tulkarem, and other parts of the West Bank have been heavily criticized by Palestinian organizations. The following assertions by Katz, regarding the alleged Iranian involvement, have sparked controversy and heightened tensions in the region.
