International
UN Urges De-escalation as Israeli Raids Persist in West Bank
Five more Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces during a second day of raids in the occupied West Bank, prompting the UN to call for de-escalation.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that the fatalities were “five terrorists who had hidden inside a mosque” in Tulkarm, near Israel’s border.
This follows the launch of what Israel describes as a major counter-terrorism operation in the West Bank on Wednesday.
As the operation spread across multiple cities, conflicting reports emerged regarding the death toll.
The IDF initially stated that nine militants were killed on Wednesday—five in Jenin and Tulkarm, and four in the al-Faraa refugee camp.
On Thursday, the Palestinian health ministry reported that 12 people had been killed by the IDF so far.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for an immediate halt to the Israeli operation, warning that it was “fuelling an already explosive situation.”
He urged Israeli forces to “exercise maximum restraint and use lethal force only when it is strictly unavoidable.”
The IDF claimed the five Palestinians were killed during “exchanges of fire” in Tulkarm, identifying one of the deceased as Mohammed Jaber, also known as Abu Shujaa, the local leader of the Tulkarem Brigade backed by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group.
The IDF accused Jaber of being involved in attacks on Israelis and planning further assaults.
In Jenin, military jeeps surrounded the government hospital, stopping ambulances as security forces continued their operation in the refugee camp.
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The camp, home to both armed groups and civilians, has witnessed fierce gun battles in the past.
Currently, with access blocked and Palestinian phone networks down, little information is emerging from the camp.
Occasional explosions and gunfire are the only indications of the ongoing situation. One person inside told the BBC that the area appears calm, though drones are heard overhead.
Israeli media suggests the operation in the West Bank could last several days. The Israeli military reported arrests and weapon seizures, while Palestinians said homes and infrastructure were damaged in the attacks.
This is the largest military action in the West Bank since the second Palestinian intifada two decades ago.
Israel’s UN ambassador, Danny Danon, stated that the operation’s “clear goal” is to prevent “Iranian terror-by-proxy” that threatens Israeli civilians.
Recently, Israeli officials have accused Iran, which supports both Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, of attempting to smuggle explosives into Israel for attacks.
“Israel cannot sit idly by and wait for the spectacle of buses and cafes exploding in city centres,” Danon said in a post on X.
The West Bank has seen a surge in violence since Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned that Israel’s operation in the West Bank “must not constitute the premises of a war extension from Gaza.”
Borrell also began the process of asking EU members whether they want to impose sanctions on certain Israeli ministers, whom he accused of “launching unacceptable hate messages against the Palestinians, and proposing things that clearly go against international law.”
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