RAMALLAH: The Palestinian health ministry said on Wednesday that Israeli forces killed two people in separate overnight raids in the occupied West Bank, including one in Jenin, where the Israeli military is conducting a major offensive.
The Ramallah-based ministry said in a statement that a 25-year-old man it identified as Osama Abu Al-Hija was killed late on Tuesday in Jenin “as a result of an Israeli air strike.”
The military told AFP that an Israeli aircraft conducted a strike in Jenin on Tuesday night “after a terrorist threw an explosive device” toward troops.
The Israeli military has launched an intense assault on the Jenin area, now in its eighth day, to root out Palestinian militant groups.
On Monday it said it had “eliminated over 15 terrorists” and arrested 40 wanted people during the offensive.
Abu Al-Hija is the 16th person killed during the raid, which has caused many residents of Jenin refugee camp, the focus of the operation, to flee.
During a visit in the Jenin refugee camp on Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the operation — dubbed Iron Wall — was aimed at defeating “terror infrastructure” built “with funding and armament from Iran.”
“The Jenin refugee camp will not return to what it was — after the completion of the operation, the (Israeli army) will remain in the camp to ensure that terror does not return,” Katz added.
Katz’s office told AFP that Israeli forces would not remain in the area “forever” after the operation’s end.
Shortly after midnight on Wednesday, the health ministry also said a 23-year-old Palestinian man it identified as Ayman Naji was killed in the northern city of Tulkarem “after being shot” by Israeli forces.
The army told AFP it was looking into the details of both deaths.
Tulkarem, Jenin and their refugee camps are known as bastions of Palestinian militant groups, whose factions present themselves as a more effective alternative to the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority in the fight against Israel.
Before the current Israeli operation, Jenin’s refugee camp was the site of a long operation by the Palestinian Authority’s security forces attempting to root out Palestinian militants affiliated with Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups.
Violence has soared throughout the West Bank since the war between Hamas and Israel broke out in Gaza on October 7, 2023.
Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 863 Palestinians, including many militants, in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
At least 29 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military raids in the territory over the same period, according to official Israeli figures.
Palestinians say Israeli forces kill two in West Bank raids
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Palestinians say Israeli forces kill two in West Bank raids
- The Israeli military has launched an intense assault on the Jenin area
- Osama Abu Al-Hija was killed late on Tuesday in Jenin
- Ayman Naji was killed in the northern city of Tulkarem “after being shot” by Israeli forces
Spain highlights importance of Gaza reconstruction
- Spain officially recognized Palestine as a state in May 2024, in a coordinated move alongside Ireland and Norway
RAMALLAH: The Palestinian prime minister, Mohammed Mustafa, and the Spanish foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares, on Friday discussed the latest developments in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
During their telephone conversation they emphasized the need to intensify international efforts to end the Israeli occupation and halt attacks and settler violence, and to secure the release of Palestinian funds held by Israeli authorities.
They affirmed the importance of ongoing efforts relating to plans for the reconstruction of Gaza, and Europe’s significant role in this process. Mustafa and Albares highlighted the need to unify Palestinian institutions in Gaza with those in the West Bank, with the aim of establishing a Palestinian state in line with international resolutions, including last year’s New York Declaration.
They also discussed coordination between their countries, and the strengthening of Spain’s political, diplomatic and financial support for Palestine, and Mustafa thanked Spain for its ongoing support.
Spain officially recognized Palestine as a state in May 2024, in a coordinated move alongside Ireland and Norway. Estephan Salameh, the Palestinian finance and planning minister, is set to visit Spain this month to discuss enhanced cooperation, particularly in the areas of development and reconstruction. Meanwhile, Israel continues operating in the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian Prisoners media office said on Friday that Israel carried out numerous raids across the territory, including the major cities of Ramallah and Hebron, according to The Associated Press.
Nearly 50 people were detained, following the arrest of at least 50 other Palestinians on Thursday, most of those in the Ramallah area.
As 2026 begins, the shaky 12-week-old ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has largely ended large-scale Israeli bombardment of Gaza.
But Palestinians are still being killed by Israeli fire, especially along the so-called Yellow Line that delineates areas under Israeli control, and the humanitarian crisis is compounded by frequent winter rains and colder temperatures.
On Friday, American actor and film producer Angelina Jolie visited the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
The only crossing between the territory and a country other than Israel, it remains closed despite Palestinian requests to reopen it to people and aid.
Jolie met with members of the Red Crescent on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing and then visited a hospital in the nearby city of Arish to speak with Palestinian patients on Friday, according to Egyptian officials.
Aid groups say not enough shelter materials are getting into Gaza during the truce.
