Israeli forces continue a large-scale operation in the West Bank. Heavy fighting with Palestinian militants in the Jenin refugee camp was reported. Two attempted bombings were carried out overnight in other parts of the West Bank, the perpetrators were shot dead.
On Saturday after midnight, a car loaded with explosives exploded at a gas station near the Jewish settlement of Gush Etzion. The driver got out of the car and tried to attack Israeli soldiers inside; he was shot dead, the daily Haaretz reported. Three Israeli soldiers were slightly wounded.
Shortly after, the driver of another car with explosives tried to ram the gate to the nearby Jewish settlement of Karmej Cur. The settlement's security shot the terrorist, after which the car exploded. One of the security guards was slightly injured.
According to Israeli intelligence, both attacks were linked and the bolt-loaded explosives were manufactured in the same workshop in nearby Hebron.
The military searched the area around the city and detained six Palestinians suspected of being involved with the attackers, the Times of Israel reported. It is not yet known whether they belonged to any terrorist groups. Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad issued statements praising the attacks but not claiming responsibility for them.
Jenin refugee camp after clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants. Photo from August 31PAP/EPA/ALAA BADARNEH
Activities in the West Bank
In the northern West Bank, the Israeli military has been conducting an operation against growing Palestinian terrorist groups there since Wednesday, aimed at preventing further attacks on the Jewish state. The offensive, involving hundreds of soldiers, helicopters and drones, focused on the Jenin refugee camp on Saturday, the Times of Israel reported.
Media reports of heavy fighting in the city include two Hamas-linked fighters killed Saturday, and dozens of roadside explosive devices were neutralized. The military said at least 26 Palestinian fighters were killed and about 30 wanted men detained during the operation.
One of the largest operations of this type in almost 20 years
The offensive is considered the largest Israeli military operation in the West Bank since the end of the Second Intifada, a five-year uprising by Palestinians against the Palestinians, in 2005. To Israel. More than three thousand Palestinians and about a thousand Israelis died in it.
Tensions in the already violence-torn West Bank have increased since the outbreak of war in the Gaza Strip in the fall of 2023. Israeli airstrikes against Palestinian militias have intensified, as have attacks by Jewish settlers on Palestinian villages and attacks organized by Palestinians. Since October last year, more than 660 Palestinians and dozens of Israelis have been killed in the West Bank.
West Bank and Gaza StripPAP
Main image source: PAP/EPA/ALAA BADARNEH