Israel kills one of most wanted West Bank commanders as operation continues

TULKARM, West Bank — Israel’s military said it killed a prominent Palestinian militant commander as a major operation in the West Bank — which appeared to be one of the largest in the occupied territory in recent years — continued into a second day.

Hundreds of Israeli troops launched raids in several areas of the northern West Bank on Wednesday, carrying out mass arrests and engaging in gun battles as part of an operation it said was needed to stave off terrorist attacks on Israelis. Palestinians said the sweeping incursion could fuel further violence and hamper access to health care and other essential services. Military operations around Jenin and Tulkarm continued Thursday morning, with militant groups there saying they were exchanging fire with Israeli troops, while Israel said its “smaller” operation in Fara’a, a refugee camp near the city of Tubas, had ended.

The Israel Defense Forces announced Thursday that Mohamed Jaber, also known as Abu Shuja’a, was one of five militants Israeli forces killed inside a mosque in Tulkarm after “exchanges of fire.” Jaber, the commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad-led Tulkarm battalion, was one of Israel’s most wanted men for his role in the planning and execution of attacks, including a shooting that killed an Israeli civilian, Amnon Muchtar, in the West Bank city of Qalqilya in June.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/08/29/israel-operation-west-bank-gaza-war/