Israeli Army Continues Operations in West Bank; One 'Islamic Jihad' Commander and Four Palestinian Militants Killed

On Thursday, September 8, the Israeli army announced that it had eliminated five Palestinian militants, including an Islamic Jihad commander, who were hiding inside a mosque in Tulkarm in the central West Bank. According to the Hebrew-language account of the Israeli army on social media platform 'X', Mohammad Jaber, known as 'Abu Shuja', the head of the 'terrorist organization [Islamic Jihad] in Nur al-Shams', who participated in many terrorist attacks and also led a deadly shooting attack last June, was among those killed. The Islamic Jihad group confirmed the death of this commander and claimed that in response to this attack, they had 'directly' struck Israeli soldiers. The group, supported by the Islamic Republic, did not provide any details regarding this alleged 'strike'. Reuters reported, citing 'local witnesses', that this operation began early on Wednesday, September 7, during which hundreds of Israeli soldiers, supported by helicopters, drones, and armored personnel carriers, attacked Tulkarm, Jenin, and areas in the Jordan Valley. Palestinian health officials also reported that 12 people were killed during the Israeli army's attacks on Wednesday. The military branches of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Fatah issued separate statements on Wednesday claiming that their militants had detonated bombs against Israeli military vehicles in Jenin, Tulkarm, and Far'ah in the Jordan Valley. Since the terrorist attack by Hamas on October 15 of last year against Israel and the subsequent Israeli army operations in Gaza aimed at destroying this group supported by the Iranian government and recovering kidnapped hostages, tensions in the West Bank have escalated. In this context, Israel Katz, the Israeli Foreign Minister, wrote on social media platform 'X' on Wednesday that the army had launched extensive operations in refugee camps in Jenin and Tulkarm since Tuesday night, September 6, to 'neutralize the Islamic-Iranian terrorist infrastructures' that are established there. Mr. Katz accused the Islamic Republic of 'financing and arming terrorists and smuggling weapons from Jordan in an effort to create a terrorist front against Israel in the West Bank based on the Gaza and Lebanon model.' The Israeli Foreign Minister emphasized that it is necessary to confront the 'threat of terrorist infrastructure in Gaza, including the temporary evacuation of Palestinian residents' and to take 'necessary next steps'. Israel Katz had previously warned on August 13 about the smuggling of Iranian weapons through Jordan to the West Bank. He stated that the Iranian government's efforts to create 'a new terrorist front in the east against major population centers in Israel' has led to a 'serious and dangerous situation'. During the October 15 terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel, over 1,200 Israeli citizens, including women, children, and the elderly, were killed, and more than 250 others were taken hostage. Following this terrorist attack, Israel began its invasion of Gaza to destroy Hamas and recover hostages kidnapped by Hamas. About ten months after the October 15 terrorist attack, a total of 110 hostages have been released from Hamas captivity, and according to Israeli estimates, 115 other hostages are still in Gaza, of which 48 have lost their lives. The Hamas group is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Israel, Canada, Japan, and several other countries. The extensive operations of the Israeli army in the West Bank have resulted in at least 9 Palestinians being killed. Israel's attack on the 'militant operations center' in the West Bank has led to claims from Palestinians that 'civilians' were killed. Israel rescued one of the hostages from Hamas captivity; military operations continue in central and southern Gaza. The United States has sanctioned an Israeli NGO and a settler official due to 'violence in the West Bank'. Four militants were killed in an Israeli drone strike on a vehicle at the Syrian-Lebanese border.