JENIN, Palestinian Territories – Israeli troops killed seven Palestinians, including five claimed by Hamas, in a raid on Jenin in the occupied West Bank on July 5, according to officials. This raid adds to the escalating violence in the region, with at least 14 Palestinians killed in Israeli operations this week amid heightened tensions fueled by the ongoing Gaza war since October.
The Israeli military conducted the raid to target militants allegedly involved in an attack last week that resulted in the death of an Israeli captain. Hamas identified one of the dead as a “commander” within their group.
The Israeli military’s statement mentioned a gun battle in the Jenin refugee camp, followed by a siege on a building where “terrorists barricaded themselves.” The operation involved shoulder-launched missiles and drone support, resulting in the deaths of two militants who had participated in the bombing that killed the Israeli captain.
The Palestinian Authority’s health ministry confirmed the deaths of seven individuals aged between 19 and 54. A Hamas statement acknowledged that five of the deceased were members of their group, with one named as a Hamas “commander,” Ahmed Mahmud al-Aridi, 30.
Violence has intensified in the West Bank since the onset of the Gaza war on October 7. This latest raid follows other deadly operations earlier in the week, including a woman and child killed in a refugee camp near Tulkarem on July 1, four men in a drone attack on the Nur Shams camp on July 2, and one man in Jenin on July 3.
The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that 14 people were killed in a two-day Israeli operation in Nur Shams in April. Since the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, at least 568 Palestinians have died in the West Bank due to military raids and clashes with Israeli settlers, according to Palestinian figures. During the same period, at least 16 Israelis, including soldiers, have been killed in the West Bank, based on an AFP tally from official Israeli figures.