Israeli troops have killed five Palestinian “fighters” who were “hiding” inside a mosque in Tulkarem, in the occupied West Bank, the military said in a statement. These deaths come after the army launched a simultaneous, wide-ranging offensive in three areas of the northern West Bank early Wednesday, which killed 10 Palestinians. That same day, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz called for action in the West Bank as in Gaza, “including the temporary evacuation of Palestinian residents and any other measures that may be necessary.”
The operation began early Wednesday with hundreds of Israeli troops backed by helicopters, drones and armoured personnel carriers attacking the towns of Tulkarem, Jenin and areas of the Jordan Valley. There was also a complete network disruption at the Jawwal company, one of the two main telecommunications companies in the Palestinian territories of Gaza and the West Bank, a witness said. Palestinian health authorities said at least 12 Palestinians were killed in Wednesday’s operations.
In Jenin on Thursday, bulldozers moved through empty streets as the sound of drones pierced the sky. Israeli troops remained stationed outside the city’s main hospital, inspecting ambulances. On Wednesday, the military blocked access to the hospital with mounds of earth and controlled the entry of ambulances to prevent fighters from seeking shelter there.
The armed wings of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah said in separate statements on Wednesday that their men had detonated bombs targeting Israeli military vehicles in Jenin, Tulkarem and Faraa, a city in the Jordan Valley. Israel, for its part, said one of the five fighters killed at the Tulkarem mosque was Mohamed Jabber, known as Abu Shujaahead of a network of fighters in the Nur Shams refugee camp near the city.
Clashes in the West Bank have escalated since Israel’s war with Hamas militants in Gaza began nearly 11 months ago. Israel says Iran provides weapons and support to Palestinian militant factions and has stepped up operations in the West Bank, while Jewish settlers have launched frequent Iranian-style attacks on Palestinian communities.
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Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a message on X early Wednesday, referring to the attack on the West Bank launched that night: “This is a war in every sense, and we must win it.” He accused Iran of working to destabilize Jordan and establish an eastern front against Israel, as it has done in Gaza and Lebanon, where Israel has been exchanging fire almost daily with militants from the Iranian group Hezbollah. To address the threat of an eastern front, Katz said Israel would have to use “all necessary means, including, in cases of intense combat, allowing the population to temporarily evacuate from one neighborhood to another to avoid harm to civilians.”
In nearby Gaza, evacuation orders have displaced nearly all of the enclave’s 2.3 million residents several times, leading to famine and deadly disease. The latest round of violence between Israelis and Palestinians began on Oct. 7 after Hamas militants stormed from Gaza in southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Israel’s campaign in Gaza since then has demolished swathes of the enclave and killed more than 40,500 people, Palestinian health officials say. Internationally mediated talks to end the conflict continue.
Since the Gaza war began, thousands of Palestinians have been arrested in attacks in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and more than 660 fighters and civilians have been killed, according to Palestinian Health Ministry figures. At least 30 Israelis have been killed in attacks in Jerusalem and the West Bank during the same period, according to Israeli counts.
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