Tel Aviv [Israel], August 30: In parallel with the military campaign in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army is carrying out a large-scale campaign in several cities in the West Bank against Palestinian armed groups.
Surprise Campaign
The Israeli army said on August 29 that it had killed five Palestinian militants hiding in a mosque in the West Bank city of Tulkarm. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) said the commander of its Tulkarm wing, Muhammad Jabber, also known as Abu Shujaa, was among those killed. This was the second consecutive day of the Israeli operation, which has left a total of 14 Palestinians dead, according to AFP.
Clashes between Israeli security forces and armed groups in the West Bank have increased sharply since the Hamas-Israel conflict erupted on October 7, 2023. The Israeli military conducts raids almost daily across the West Bank, but on August 28 suddenly launched a large-scale operation in several cities such as Tulkarm, Jenin, Tubas and Nablus. According to Reuters, hundreds of Israeli soldiers, supported by armored vehicles, helicopters and drones, simultaneously raided these cities.
Palestinian figures show that since the Hamas offensive on October 7, 2023, Israeli troops and settlers have killed at least 637 Palestinians in the West Bank, while counterattacks have cost Israel at least 19 soldiers. Violence has also broken out in Gaza and Lebanon, as the Israeli military continues to carry out operations against Palestinian militant groups.
Hamas calls for attacks
Jordan's King Abdullah told a visiting delegation of US lawmakers that a ceasefire in Gaza was needed to halt the spiral of violence in the region. Mediators are trying to negotiate but have so far failed to reach an agreement to end the conflict. Speaking at a security conference in Washington DC on August 28, Deputy Director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) David Cohen said Israel had shown seriousness in the negotiations and the fate of the deal largely depended on the Hamas leadership.
On the same day, senior Hamas member Khaled Mashaal called on Palestinians to resume suicide bombings in the West Bank against Israel. "They are fighting us in an open conflict and that can only be resolved in an open conflict," The Times of Israel quoted Mashaal, who was once considered a replacement for assassinated Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Israeli security authorities recently said they had uncovered plots by Hamas and militant groups in the West Bank to resume suicide bombings like they did in the early 2000s.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
