At least 9 killed as Israel begins major military operation in West Bank

Jerusalem: Hundreds of Israeli troops mounted unusually broad overnight raids in the occupied West Bank, Israeli officials said Wednesday, targeting Palestinian militants after what they called months of rising attacks. At least nine people were killed, and an Israeli military official said the operation was continuing.

The raids followed months of escalating Israeli operations in the occupied territory, where nearly 3 million Palestinians live under Israeli military rule. Israel has arrested thousands of Palestinians suspected of involvement in armed groups since the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks, an increasingly deadly campaign that has unfolded alongside its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Despite the toll in the West Bank — over 500 Palestinians killed since Oct. 7, according to the United Nations — the raids have failed to tamp down the armed groups. They have also further immiserated Palestinians in the territory, who saw Israeli bulldozers tear up roads early Wednesday and feared being caught in the crossfire.

Israeli forces were focusing on Jenin and Tulkarem, two Palestinian cities that have become militant strongholds, Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesperson, said at a news briefing. Israeli troops also operated farther east in the Far’a neighborhood, conducting an aerial strike that killed four militants, according to Israeli authorities.

The raids were unusually large, comprising hundreds of soldiers, according to another Israeli security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss troop movements.

At least nine people were killed, Israeli and Palestinian officials said Wednesday morning. Shoshani said all nine were militants, without providing further information about their identities. He added that the operation was just getting started.

Here is what else to know:

Gunfire and explosions: Kamal Abu al-Rub, the Palestinian governor of Jenin, said the Israeli incursion was unusually fierce, with the sounds of gunfire and blasts resounding through the city. Israeli officials had informed their Palestinian counterparts that they were imposing a formal curfew on parts of the city and that soldiers had surrounded Jenin’s hospitals, entrances and exits, he said, adding: “People are living in a state of terror and anxiety.”

Iranian smuggling: The raid comes as US, Israeli and Iranian officials have said that Iran is trying to flood the West Bank with weapons. The covert operation, employing intelligence operatives, militants and criminal gangs, has heightened concerns that Iran is seeking to turn the territory into another flashpoint in its long-standing conflict with Israel.

Prospect of evacuations: Israel’s foreign minister raised the prospect of temporarily relocating West Bank residents as the military operation goes on, saying, “We must deal with the threat just as we deal with the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza,” where most people have been forced from their homes during the war. But Shoshani said Wednesday morning that there were currently no plans to order the relocation of residents from Jenin or Tulkarem.