Israeli Drone Strike in West Bank; Army Claims Two 'Senior Hamas Terrorists' Killed

On the evening of August 18, Israel announced that in a drone strike on Saturday, two 'senior Hamas terrorists' were killed in the city of Jenin in the West Bank. The Israeli army and the country's internal security agency, Shin Bet, identified the deceased as Ahmad Abu Ara and Raafat Dawasi, noting that these two senior Hamas members were involved in last week's shooting in the West Bank that resulted in the death of 23-year-old Yonatan Deutsch and injured another Israeli civilian. The Israeli army and Shin Bet stated that Abu Ara was involved in other terrorist attacks and in the construction of explosives, while Dawasi was a senior member of a Hamas terrorist network in Jenin. The two were targeted by Israeli drones while in a vehicle traveling on one of Jenin's streets. The Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed the attack and claimed that one of the two killed was an 18-year-old youth. Violence in the West Bank has escalated since the onset of the Gaza war between Israel and the Islamist group Hamas last October, with increased Israeli attacks, violence from Jewish settlers, and street attacks by Palestinian Muslims. This surge in violence comes as a new round of negotiations aimed at ending the 10-month conflict in Gaza was held last Thursday and Friday in Doha, Qatar, and is set to resume next week. The war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7 of last year when the Iran-backed Islamist group attacked Israeli border areas, killing over 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking about 250 hostages to Gaza. Hamas dismissed Biden's remarks about 'nearing a ceasefire' in Gaza as 'delusional.' Egypt stated that if there is political will, a ceasefire in Gaza is achievable. An American official described the ceasefire and hostage release negotiations in Doha as 'very constructive.' An Israeli attack on a Hezbollah weapons depot left 10 dead and 5 injured. The U.S. warned the Islamic Republic that it would face 'catastrophic' consequences if it attacked Israel. A senior Hamas official claimed that the U.S. proposal aligns with the new conditions set by Israel.