Rising Violence in West Bank and Gaza Results in 6 Palestinian Deaths
Six Palestinians were killed in a surge of violence involving Israeli military operations in the West Bank and unrest in the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian health officials on Wednesday. Four deaths occurred during an Israeli raid in the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank. Another Palestinian was killed in a separate raid, and a sixth was killed in Gaza.
The Israeli military reported that it opened fire during an overnight arrest operation in the Aqabat Jabr refugee camp, near Jericho, targeting a Palestinian throwing explosives. The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the deceased as 19-year-old Dhargham al-Akhras.
The fatalities in Jenin were the latest in a string of deadly encounters in an area frequently targeted by Israeli raids. Three of those killed were identified as members of armed groups Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The Israeli military said the raids aim to dismantle terrorist networks.
Both Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, and Jenin Brigades announced their involvement in military clashes with Israeli forces. Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant noted that the operation aimed to “thwart terrorist activities.”
The incident follows the killing of a 25-year-old Palestinian man in clashes between rioters and the Israeli military near the Israel-Gaza Strip border fence earlier in the day. In response to violent demonstrations at the border earlier in the week, Israel closed the Erez Crossing, the only pedestrian crossing between Israel and Gaza.
