Israeli forces killed at least 10 Palestinians in the West Bank during overnight raids and airstrikes, which they said were aimed at thwarting attacks using Iranian-supplied weapons. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed all those killed were militants, and Hamas confirmed 10 of its fighters had died.
The operations, among the most extensive in recent years, took place in the Jenin and Tubas areas. Gun battles continued on Wednesday morning, according to Palestinian health authorities. The IDF said the campaign might last several days as a preventive measure against attacks on Israelis.
Palestinian Authority spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh warned that the escalation, concurrent with the war in Gaza, would “lead to dire and dangerous results”. He called for urgent international action to curb what he described as an extremist Israeli government threatening regional stability.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz stated the operations aimed to “thwart Islamic-Iranian terrorist infrastructures”, accusing Iran of arming and financing militants in the West Bank. The IDF advised residents of the Nur Shams refugee camp to leave for their safety, but a resident said it was too dangerous to leave without the Red Cross.
Since 7 October, at least 128 Palestinians have been killed by airstrikes in the West Bank, according to the UN. The UN Human Rights Office warned that the IDF operations risked “seriously deepening the already catastrophic situation”, noting that two of the dead were reportedly children, bringing the total West Bank death toll since October to 637.
The IDF also conducted operations in Tulkarm and Far’a refugee camp. The Palestinian governor of Jenin reported that the IDF planned to raid the government hospital, though the military denied any intention to seize it, saying they only sought to prevent its use by militants.
