Palestinian authorities reported on Thursday that an Israeli military operation in the occupied West Bank resulted in the deaths of at least three individuals. The Palestinian Health Ministry disclosed that two of the deceased were killed in an Israeli missile strike, while a third victim succumbed to Israeli gunfire. The Israeli military claimed that their forces were targeting militants in the Nur Shams refugee camp, an area that has been the site of frequent confrontations in recent months. According to the military, they successfully eliminated a Hamas operative who was purportedly involved in orchestrating attacks against Israelis.
Efforts to mediate an end to the ongoing conflicts in Lebanon and Gaza are intensifying, with new proposals being circulated to de-escalate the regional hostilities. Naim Kassem, the newly appointed leader of Hezbollah, stated that the militant organization intends to continue its fight against Israel until cease-fire conditions are proposed that it finds acceptable.
According to government estimates, the conflict in Lebanon has resulted in the displacement of approximately 1.2 million people. The Lebanese Health Ministry reported that over 2,800 individuals have died and nearly 12,900 have been injured since the onset of the conflict on October 8, 2023, when Hezbollah commenced launching rockets into Israel, prompting a military response. Israeli ground forces entered southern Lebanon at the beginning of October as part of their military operations.
The prolonged conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza has witnessed a staggering death toll of over 43,000, as reported by Palestinian officials. This figure does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. The war ignited after Hamas militants infiltrated Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of around 1,200 individuals, predominantly civilians, along with the kidnapping of 250 others.
In summary, officials from the West Bank stated that three people lost their lives during the Israeli operation. The Israeli military reiterated that its forces are still active in the vicinity. Since the onset of the conflict triggered by Hamas’s assault from Gaza on October 7, 2023, at least 763 Palestinians have reportedly been killed by Israeli troops in the West Bank, including more than 165 children, as indicated by the Health Ministry. While many fatalities are believed to involve militants in conflict operations, this statistic also encompasses civilian casualties and those killed amid violent protests.
Since the beginning of this ongoing conflict, Palestinians have executed numerous stabbing, shooting, and car-ramming incidents targeting Israelis. The West Bank was captured by Israel during the 1967 Middle East war, and the Palestinians aspire for it to be the core of their future state. Israel has established numerous settlements in the region, currently home to over 500,000 Israeli settlers. Around three million Palestinians in the territory operate under what seems to be indefinite Israeli military control, with the Palestinian Authority, supported by Western nations, maintaining limited self-administrative powers within urban areas.