Israeli assault on West Bank city sparks intense fighting with Palestinian militants

Palestinian officials said Israeli forces killed at least four Palestinians and wounded more than 45 in an intense gun battle with militants during a raid in the occupied West Bank.

The fighting, during which Israeli forces deployed helicopter gunships on the West Bank for the first time since the second intifada ended in 2005, is the latest in a continuing escalation of violence that has gripped the region for more than a year.

Palestinian health officials said a 15-year-old boy was among those killed, and nine of the wounded were in critical condition. The Israeli army said that during the fighting seven personnel – two soldiers and five border police – were wounded and evacuated for treatment.

Israel’s military said it raided Jenin, a city north of the West Bank, on Monday to arrest two men, and there was a “massive exchange of fire” with militants.

A military spokesman said that at about 7 a.m., a military vehicle was hit by a “quite advanced” explosive device, and that helicopters were deployed to provide covering fire while troops in the damaged vehicles attempted to evacuate.

The raids came in a series of clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants since the latest government of Benjamin Netanyahu, widely regarded as the most right-wing in Israel’s history, forced Palestinians with ultranationalists to hold key security positions in December. promised to take a tough stand against ,

As the fighting unfolded on Monday, Bezalel Smotrich, a hardline settler and minister in Israel’s defense ministry, called for a more aggressive approach, saying Israel would end tweezer activity “in the north of the West Bank” with a broad operation. Must be restored “to restore resistance”. ,

“The time has come to use the Air Force and Armored Forces,” he wrote on Twitter. “I will demand an immediate cabinet meeting on the matter.”

Hussein Sheikh, a senior Palestinian Authority official, accused Israel of waging a “brutal and open war”. , , against the Palestinian people”.

“We are in the midst of a massive battle on all fronts that requires the unity of our people in the face of this onslaught,” he said. wrote on twitter,

Even before Monday’s fighting, this year was already one of the bloodiest in the West Bank for more than a decade. According to the latest UN figures, Israeli forces have killed 114 Palestinians in the region this year, while Palestinians have killed 16 Israelis.

Israel began conducting nightly raids in the West Bank last year following an increase in attacks by Palestinians on Israelis. However, Jalal Abukhatar, a Palestinian analyst, said the raid had little effect on support for terrorist groups in cities such as Jenin and Nablus.

“Today’s use of helicopter gunships . . . is an indicator that Israel’s bloody escalation over the past 18 months has so far failed to deter armed Palestinian resistance in the occupied West Bank.