Israeli forces killed a local commander of the Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad movement and four other people in the West Bank on Thursday during one of the largest military assaults in the Israeli-occupied territory in recent months.
The Israeli military reported that Muhhamad Jabber, also known as Abu Shujaa, was killed during a “significant exchange of fire” around a mosque in the city of Tulkarm. Jabber, the head of a network of fighters based in the nearby Nur Shams refugee camp, was one of five Palestinian fighters killed in the operation. The Tulkarm division of Islamic Jihad’s armed wing confirmed his death, bringing the total number of Palestinians killed in the past two days to 17. Fighters reportedly attacked Israeli forces near the Abu Ubaida mosque during the clashes.
The large-scale operation, which began early Wednesday, involved hundreds of Israeli troops supported by helicopters, drones, and armored personnel carriers targeting key areas in Tulkarm, Jenin, and the Jordan Valley. Amid the assault, there was a complete network outage at Jawwal, one of the main telecommunications companies serving Gaza and the West Bank.
Scenes in Jenin depicted Israeli bulldozers moving through empty streets as drones hovered overhead, and troops searched ambulances and blocked access to Jenin’s main hospital to prevent people from seeking refuge.