The Offense

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Israel’s military killed a prominent Palestinian militant commander during the second day of a large-scale operation in the northern West Bank Thursday, an operation that has caused multiple deaths, severe destruction and raised concerns about escalating violence in the region, the Washington Post reported.

On Wednesday, hundreds of Israeli troops launched coordinated raids in cities that included Jenin, Tulkarm, and Tubas, resulting in mass arrests and gun battles.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that Mohamed Jaber, also known as Abu Shuja’a, a commander in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, was killed inside a mosque in Tulkarm, alongside four others the IDF identified as militants. Abu Shuja’a was wanted for his role in planning and executing attacks, including a June shooting that killed an Israeli civilian in the West Bank city of Qalqilya.

The death toll from these operations has risen to at least 14 Palestinians, with 12 killed on the first day, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. More than 600 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli troops or settlers since the war in Gaza began last fall, CNN reported.

The IDF said the operation is aimed at preventing terrorist attacks emanating from the West Bank, an area that has seen a spike in violence in recent months, Agence France-Presse noted.

The Palestinian Authority, however, sees it as a widening of the Israel-Hamas war with the aim of perpetuating Israel’s decades-long military rule over the territory.

Meanwhile, Palestinian groups, including the Islamic Jihad and Hamas, vowed to retaliate, claiming the raids would only increase resistance and anger among Palestinians.

The raids have caused extensive damage, particularly in Tulkarm, where Israeli bulldozers uprooted streets and damaged infrastructure.

Access to health services has been severely impacted, with roads to major hospitals blocked and patients and healthcare workers trapped inside.

The United Nations has called for an immediate cessation of the hostilities, expressing concerns over the humanitarian impact and the targeting of civilian areas.

The West Bank operations occurred amidst ongoing conflict in Gaza, following the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, which resulted in around 1,200 deaths and 250 people being taken hostage.

Israel’s war in Gaza has resulted in more than 40,000 Palestinian deaths and a humanitarian crisis, according to the health officials in the Hamas-controlled territory and the United Nations.

“These dangerous developments are fueling an already explosive situation in the occupied West Bank and further undermining the Palestinian Authority,” said UN chief António Guterres.