Israeli forces launch a large operation in the occupied West Bank, AP explains what's behind it

Описание: (28 Aug 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jerusalem - 28 August 2024
++NIGHT SHOTS++
1. SOUNDBITE (English) Joe Federman, The Associated Press:
"The Israeli military has launched a new crackdown in the occupied West Bank. Israel has been operating in the territory since last October, almost immediately after its war against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip erupted. While the fighting in the West Bank has been overshadowed by the war in Gaza, these Israeli military raids have taken place almost every day. Most of them have been concentrated in the northern West Bank. Israel says this area is a stronghold of Palestinian militants, and indeed the latest operation is also taking place in the north. Israel has sealed one major town, Jenin, and residents also are talking about impeded access to a major hospital. Hundreds of people, hundreds of Palestinians, have been killed in the violence since last October, and while most of them have been militants, many civilians also have died. This has been accompanied by an increase in Israeli military checkpoints as well as widespread economic hardship. Taken together, the situation is very tense in the West Bank. On the Israeli side, Israel has reported an uptick in Palestinian attacks on Israelis as well. This violence is likely to continue as long as the war in Gaza goes ahead. While ceasefire talks have continued throughout the week, Israel is pressing ahead with its offensive in Gaza. In the latest violence, health officials in Gaza say 24 Palestinians have been killed in new Israeli airstrikes."
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STORYLINE:
Israeli forces launched a large operation in the occupied West Bank overnight and into Wednesday, killing at least 10 Hamas militants, carrying out arrests and sealing off the volatile city of Jenin.

The ongoing operation was among the largest in the West Bank in months, and a reminder that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict extends far beyond the war in Gaza that began with Hamas' October 7 attack.

Israel says it is rooting out West Bank militants to prevent attacks, while Palestinians fear it intends to broaden the war and expel them from territories they want for a future state.

Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesman, said “large forces” had entered Jenin, long a militant stronghold, as well as Tulkarem and the Al-Faraa refugee camp dating back to the 1948 Mideast war, all in the northern West Bank.

He said Israeli forces killed three militants in an airstrike in Tulkarem and four in an airstrike in Al-Faraa.

He said another five suspected militants were arrested, and that the raids were the first stage of an even larger operation.

Four Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire in Jenin, according to Palestinian officials.

Hamas announced that 10 of its fighters had been killed in the West Bank on Wednesday, including three of the four men killed in Jenin. It was not immediately clear if the fourth was also a fighter. The military said all of the dead were militants.

The governor of Jenin, Kamal Abu al-Rub, said on Palestinian radio that Israeli forces had surrounded the city, blocking exit and entry points and access to hospitals, and ripping up infrastructure in the camp.

At least 652 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed by Israeli fire since the war in Gaza began over 10 months ago, according to the Palestinian ministry. Most have died during raids, which often trigger gunbattles with militants.

Israel says the operations are required to dismantle Hamas and other militant groups. Attacks on Israelis have risen since the start of the war.






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