Six Palestinians lost their lives in the wake of an early morning offensive by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, while an Israeli police officer met a tragic end when her vehicle was targeted by a roadside bomb on Sunday, sources from both camps revealed.
The West Bank has witnessed a marked increase in violence since the onset of Israel’s conflict with Gaza-based Hamas militants, reaching levels not seen in almost two decades. Israeli forces regularly conduct raids in the occupied territory, particularly targeting the militant stronghold of Jenin and its adjacent refugee camp.
The Israeli police force reported the death of one of its officers during an operation in Jenin refugee camp. Additionally, the statement conveyed that three officers had sustained injuries in the course of the operation.
“She (officer) was in an operational vehicle that was hit by an explosive device,” the force said.
The question of whether the six Palestinians and the Israeli officer were killed in the same operation is currently unanswered, which has stirred uncertainty around the event.
Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency, reported on Sunday that a substantial deployment of Israeli forces was in progress in Jenin.
It said the six Palestinians, including four brothers, were killed in an “Israeli drone strike” in Jenin.
Israeli army raids on the Jenin area often trigger gun battles between troops and Palestinian militants.
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The army says it is targeting “terrorists” in its raids, but the Palestinian health ministry says many civilians are among the dead.
‘An Israeli occupation bombardment on a group of citizens killed six people in Jenin,’ said the Palestinian Authority-run Ministry of Health, which is based in Ramallah.
The West Bank has been under Israeli occupation since the war with Arab states in 1967.
According to the Palestinian health ministry, since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, at least 327 people in the West Bank have been killed, with responsibility attributed to either soldiers or Israeli settlers.
According to an AFP count using official Israeli data, the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of around 1,140 people, with the majority identified as civilians.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza states that Israel’s ongoing bombardment and ground invasion, in response to earlier events, have led to the deaths of at least 22,722 individuals, with a majority being women and children.