Escalation in the West Bank: Deadly Clashes between Israeli Forces and Islamic Jihad

Israeli forces killed three Palestinian Islamic Jihad members in a West Bank raid. The incident adds to the growing violence since the Hamas-Israel war in Gaza. The Palestinian health ministry reports 787 Palestinian deaths, including 167 children, in the West Bank over the past year.

In a striking escalation of tensions, Israeli forces shot and killed three members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group during an army raid into Qabatiya, located in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, as confirmed by both the Palestinian health ministry and the militant group.

The armed wing of the Iranian-backed group stated that its fighters were killed while confronting the Israeli troops that had entered Qabatiya near Jenin. The Israeli military has not yet provided a comment on this incident. According to the Palestinian health ministry, later that same day, two more Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire in the city of Jenin.

This incident is part of a broader surge in violence across the West Bank since the commencement of the Hamas-Israel war in Gaza over 13 months ago. In related clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed, including combatants, stone-throwing youths, and civilians. Israeli authorities reported dozens of Israeli deaths due to Palestinian street attacks in the past year.

(With inputs from agencies.)