According to the Israeli army, two Palestinians were killed in attempted attacks in the West Bank

The Israeli army announced on Saturday that two Palestinians were killed overnight as they prepared to carry out bomb attacks in the occupied West Bank, where the Israeli operation has already lasted for four days.

The Palestinian militia Hamas, whose unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7 sparked the war in Gaza, praised the “heroic operation” in the south of the West Bank in a statement and said it came at a “sensitive time” as Israeli forces continued their attacks in the north of the territory.

The Hamas-allied Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which has a strong presence in the northern West Bank, also said it “congratulated” the perpetrators for what it called a “coordinated attack.”

The Israeli army described a vehicle explosion at a gas station in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc as an “attempted car bomb attack by a terrorist” who was later killed.

An army officer “was moderately injured and a reservist responsible for security in a nearby community suffered minor injuries,” it said in a statement.

In the second incident, the security chief of the Israeli settlement of Karmei Zur was involved in a chase with a “terrorist” who had entered the settlement compound. A clash ensued and “the terrorist was neutralized shortly thereafter,” the statement said.

“During the confrontation, an explosive device detonated in the terrorist’s car,” it said.

Since Wednesday, at least 20 Palestinians, most of them militants, have been killed by the Israeli army in simultaneous attacks in several towns in the northern West Bank.

Since Friday, soldiers have concentrated their operations on the city of Jenin and its refugee camps, which have long been a stronghold of armed Palestinian groups fighting against Israel.

On Saturday morning, an AFP photographer in Jenin heard of ongoing clashes in the city. The streets were largely empty except for armored vehicles, one of which blocked the entrance to the state hospital.

Since the Hamas attacks on October 7, violence in the West Bank has increased.

The United Nations said on Wednesday that at least 637 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza area by Israeli troops or settlers since the start of the war.

According to official Israeli figures, 19 Israelis, including soldiers, were killed in Palestinian attacks or army operations during the same period.

Of the 20 Palestinians reported dead since Wednesday, at least 13 were members of their armed wings, according to Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad.