Five Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrike on West Bank
Fierce confrontations break out in the occupied West Bank amid repeat Israeli attacks and airstrikes.
The Israeli occupation forces on Wednesday continued their aggressive campaign across cities and refugee camps in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli occupation forces announced a large-scale incursion involving the IOF, the General Security Service (Shin Bet), and the Israeli Border Police in the North.
The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades confirmed that their fighters confronted Israeli forces during incursions into the cities of Tulkarm, Nablus, and Tubas, nfilicting direct injuries on Israeli soldiers. The group also reported detonating pre-planted explosive devices targeting Israeli military vehicles in several areas of Tubas.
In Tulkarm's Nur Shams refugee camp, fierce confrontations broke out as Israeli forces raided a house. Additionally, fighters engaged in armed confrontations with an Israeli infantry unit near the Grand Mosque in Nablus, where they caused further casualties.
Airstrike kills five in Tubas
The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that at least five Palestinians were killed on Wednesday due to an Israeli airstrike near the al-Tawhid Mosque in Tubas. The attack is part of a broader Israeli escalation in the city, where troops carried out widespread raids in various neighborhoods and imposed a curfew.
Israeli drones and helicopters were observed flying at low altitudes during the aggression. According to Israeli media, Prison Service forces also participated alongside the military and Shin Bet in the raids on Tubas and nearby Tammun, located in the northern West Bank.
Ongoing onslaught on Tulkarm
In Tulkarm, Israeli occupation forces intensified their assault, bulldozing Nablus Street adjacent to the Nur Shams refugee camp. The occupation forces caused extensive damage to infrastructure, particularly around the Seif Abu Labda roundabout at the camp's entrance and in the Al-Ayada neighborhood, closing shops along the main street with earth mounds.
Simultaneously, Israeli forces raided the villages of Anabta and Kafr al-Labad, east of Tulkarm, and Qaffin to the north, leading to confrontations with Palestinians. Soldiers heavily fired live ammunition during the raids.
Additionally, Israeli forces stormed the town of Beitunia, west of Ramallah.
According to local reports, Israeli forces launched a widespread arrest campaign in villages surrounding Tulkarm and Qalqilya, further intensifying their military crackdown on the region.
The aggression comes amid increasing tensions across the West Bank, with Palestinian Resistance factions actively responding to the ongoing Israeli military incursions.
Apocalyptic West Bank war preventable by Gaza ceasefire: Israeli media
Israeli occupation forces are trying to prevent a "full-fledged" Intifada in the occupied West Bank and taking a series of decisions that have displeased illegal settlers. The military is also warning of Israeli ministers' actions, which are bringing the occupied territory closer to an apocalyptic scene.
Among such decisions is the removal of multiple land barriers in the West Bank, hoping that allowing Palestinians easier movement in the occupied territory would prevent the entire population of the area from joining acts of resistance.
"Therefore, contrary to the demands of the settlers in [in the West Bank], the IDF is removing barriers that were imposed following the car bombings (in al-Khalil) and tries to allow the population as much freedom of movement and livelihood as possible," Ron Ben Yishai, a veteran Israeli war correspondent, wrote for the Ynet news website.
The war correspondent pointed to the pressure employed by Israeli authorities against Palestinians in the West Bank, including bans on work permits, which is encouraging Palestinians to join the Resistance.
Ben Yishai reported that fears are rising of a "mass attack" by Palestinians on illegal Israeli settlements near them.
He also cited the Israeli military command's belief that unless appropriate security measures are taken in the West Bank, the territory "will not ease."