Death toll in West Bank rises to at least 9
The director of the ambulance department at the Palestine Red Crescent Society told Al Jazeera that the death toll from the Israeli drone attack on the Far’a refugee camp has risen to four.
This takes the total death toll from Israeli raids on the West Bank to at least nine.
Earlier, two people were killed in an Israeli attack on the city of Jenin and three others were killed in a drone assault on their vehicle in a nearby village.
Israel’s military claims nine killed in West Bank were ‘armed terrorists’
Israel’s military has claimed to kill nine fighters in its latest raids throughout the occupied West Bank. In a post on Telegram, the military described the nine people killed as “armed terrorists who posed a threat to security forces”.
It also claimed to arrest more “wanted suspects” in Jenin and Tulkarem, while confiscating explosives “planted under roads” in Far’a camp.
As we’ve been reporting, Israel’s continuing military raid has mobilised hundreds of troops in the West Bank, making it the largest operation there in decades. In Jenin, Israeli forces have cut off access to several hospitals, one of which is at risk of being stormed, according to the local governor.
With no Gaza victory in sight, Israel unleashes violence in occupied West Bank: Analyst
More from Omar Baddar, a Middle East political analyst, who spoke to Al Jazeera earlier about Israel’s major military operation in the occupied West Bank that has killed at least seven Palestinians and is still ongoing:
“I think Israel is under tremendous pressure because of the fact that they are stuck in Gaza without a strategic victory,” Baddar told Al Jazeera.
“They promised that they would be able to defeat Hamas quickly. That they would be able to free the hostages. They have been able to achieve neither of these things. I think whenever Israel finds itself cornered and is in desperate need of a victory for its public, all they know how to do is unleash indiscriminate violence against Palestinians,” he said.
“I think Netanyahu is desperate for some sort of image of an accomplishment and he thinks by launching this massive, large-scale operation in the West Bank… Israel can claim some sort of victory at the end of this.”
Israeli raids in West Bank could last several days: Reports
The Times of Israel and YNet News are reporting that Israeli military sources expect the continuing raids in the occupied West Bank to last for several days.
The operation is mostly focused on Tulkarem, as the military believes the group that planned and directed an attempted suicide bombing in Tel Aviv on August 18 operates in the area, the outlets said. Hamas and Islamic Jihad have claimed responsibility for the blast.
At the time, Israeli authorities said the man who was carrying the bomb was killed when his explosives detonated before he managed to reach a more heavily populated area.
