Israel’s army chief visits occupied West Bank as military confirms 90 arrests
Israel’s army chief Eyal Zamir has visited troops in besieged Tulkarem in the occupied West Bank amid escalating attacks across Palestinian territories.
Zamir, who was accompanied by other senior commanders during the visit, was quoted by the military statement as saying that nowhere is out of reach for Israeli soldiers to “continue enabling operational freedom of action”.
He also said the Israeli army is “expanding activity in Gaza” and “the campaign is ongoing”.
The army confirmed that it has arrested at least 90 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank over the past several days, and claimed that this included a “key terrorist” taken from Jenin.
Israeli settlers establish illegal tent outpost in occupied West Bank
Israeli settlers have pitched tents to establish a new outpost in Atara, a village northwest of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, the Wafa news agency reports.
Citing local sources, the agency reported that dozens of settlers had stormed an area at the entrance to the village and set up tents there.
Israeli settlers had set up a similar illegal outpost in the same area earlier this month.
Hamas says Israel admitting to plan for Gaza City ethnic cleansing
The Palestinian group has slammed Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz’s statement earlier today, saying that Israel plans to defeat Hamas with “with intense fire, evacuation of residents, and manoeuvering”.
Katz’s remarks “are an admission of committing a crime amounting to ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of nearly one million people” in Gaza City, Hamas wrote in a statement shared on Telegram.
“For days, Gaza City has been subjected to systematic destruction and relentless massacres against innocent civilians, as a result of intensive aerial and artillery bombardment of residential neighbourhoods, a practical manifestation of the statements and plans of the criminal leaders of the occupation,” Hamas said.
As we’ve been reporting, Israeli forces have launched an intensified assault on Gaza City as they seek to seize the city and forcibly displace about one million people to southern parts of the Strip.
