West Bank death toll rises to 18 as Israel continues attacks

On Thursday, Israeli forces continued their large-scale military attacks on Palestinian towns in the northern West Bank for the second day in a row.

They continue their attack on the cities and refugee camps of Jenin and Tulkarem, while destroying the infrastructure and surrounding hospitals.

On Thursday, they said they had killed Mohammed Jaber, better known as Abu Shujaa, the leader of the Tulkarm Brigade, in the Nur Shams refugee camp on the outskirts of Tulkarm.

The Tulkarm Brigade is affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad faction.

The Israeli army claimed he was killed along with four other fighters in a shootout after they were discovered hiding in a mosque.

The death toll from Israel's two-day large-scale attacks across the West Bank has now risen to 18.

The head of the People’s Committee for Services in Nur Shams Camp, Nihad Al-Shawish, said The new Arabs Sister site Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed that the army had deployed its forces intensively while the local people were unable to leave their homes.

Israeli media reported on Wednesday that about 1,000 soldiers were involved in the attack on the West Bank.

Pictures and videos circulating on the Internet show Israeli bulldozers causing significant damage to infrastructure and roads. There are also power outages in large parts of Jenin. The emergency services are also blocking ambulances trying to treat the injured.

There were also reports of a total internet outage in Jenin.

Hospitals were also besieged, including the state-run Thabet Thabet Hospital and Al-Isra Hospital in Tulkarm.

The Israeli attack represents a significant escalation of ongoing Israeli attacks in the West Bank since October 7, in which at least 640 Palestinians have been killed and more than 10,000 arrested.

According to the non-governmental organization Palestinian Prisoners' Club, at least 25 Palestinians were arrested in the West Bank on Thursday.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday that Israel would deal with the “terror threat” posed by armed Palestinian groups in the same way as it dealt with the situation in Gaza. He added that this would include a “temporary evacuation” of Palestinian civilians.

Israel's brutal and indiscriminate war against Gaza has killed at least 40,602 people and devastated the area. Over 90 percent of the population has been forced to flee their homes. Israel is therefore facing numerous accusations of genocide.

Amnesty International has condemned the new Israeli attack. Executive Director Erika Guevara Rosas said: “It is likely that these operations will lead to an increase in forced displacement, the destruction of critical infrastructure and measures of collective punishment.”