Israeli forces kill Palestinian militants wanted for a deadly attack

On Thursday, the Israeli army continued its advance Its attack on Jenina city known to be a center of armed opposition to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, killing two men in a siege who were wanted for the killing of three Israelis.

The two men, who were identified on Thursday as Muhammad Nazzal and Qutaiba Shalabi, belonged to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement and carried out a terrorist operation. Shooting in a village in the West Bank The Israeli army said that earlier this month, the Israeli army targeted an Israeli bus and cars at the hotel.

Since the Gaza ceasefire began this week, Israel has done just that She turned her attention to JeninThis is what Israeli officials described as the army’s top priority. It is the latest in a series of operations in search of activists that have disrupted roads and left many Gazans hiding in their homes in fear. At least 10 people were killed in Raids this week The Palestinian Ministry of Health said on Wednesday that more than 40 others were injured.

The official Palestinian Prisoners’ Authority said that dozens of people were arrested.

The Israeli army said in its statement on Thursday that the two militants were killed in an exchange of fire in the village of Burqin, west of Jenin, the previous day. An Israeli soldier was injured.

The Hamas-run Al-Aqsa TV broadcast pictures of the two men and said they were members of its armed wing. At the same time, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement admitted the killing of the two men it said carried out the attack. She said that Mr. Nazzal, 25 years old, was the commander of its Jenin battalion.

A statement on the social messaging app Telegram said that he died “after clashing with the enemy forces that were besieging him.” It was not clear whether Mr. Nazzal was a member of both groups.

The operation comes amid a sharp escalation in tensions in the West Bank, with the strength and spread of militants increasing Settler violence against Palestinian civilians rose.

In the armed attack that occurred on June 6, Palestinian gunmen opened fire on a bus and civilian cars. Israeli settlers attacked The village this week along with other towns in the West Bank, setting vehicles and property on fire, according to Palestinian officials and the Israeli military.

During its raids in recent years, Israeli bulldozers have torn up roads and water pipes, searching for explosive devices planted by militants.

Muhammad Jarrar, the mayor of Jenin, said that thousands had fled the neighborhood known as Jenin Camp, which is the center of the Israeli operation. He added that those who remained were cut off from electricity and running water, creating the possibility of a “humanitarian catastrophe.”

“Every time we rebuild, only to be destroyed again by the next raid,” he said.

Jarrar added that the city had opened some public shelters to receive those displaced due to the Israeli military operation, but was struggling to provide them with sufficient food and supplies.

Wissam Bakr, director of the hospital, said that Israeli soldiers set up checkpoints near the main general hospital in Jenin, and searched every vehicle entering and exiting the medical complex. Dr. Bakr said that forces often allowed ambulances to pass relatively quickly after inspection, but soldiers sometimes stopped them, causing delays.

The Israeli campaign comes after the security forces of the Palestinian Authority, which administers some areas of the West Bank under Israeli occupation, Operation executed of their own in Jenin after largely ceding security there to Israeli forces.

The latest Israeli operation appears to be the most significant since a 10-day raid on the West Bank in August and September, which killed 39 people, most of whom died in Jenin, according to Palestinian officials. The raids also destroyed homes, shops and roads.

The United Nations condemned the violence in the West Bank, and the highest court in the world, the International Court of Justice, issued a decision Advisory opinion In the summer, they said that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and the settlements there, violated international law. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized this view and said that the settlements are legal.

Jenin is considered a center of Palestinian resistance in the West Bank – for both the Israeli occupation and the Palestinian Authority – and many young men there have joined Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other armed groups.