Israeli troops, Palestinian militants clash in West Bank after incidents near settlements

ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS/VIOLENCE (UPDATE 3, TV):UPDATE 3-Israeli troops, Palestinian militants clash in West Bank after incidents near settlements

Reuters
Published1 Sep 2024, 02:33 AM IST
Israeli troops, Palestinian militants clash in West Bank after incidents near settlements
Israeli troops, Palestinian militants clash in West Bank after incidents near settlements

*

Israeli military operation targets Iranian-backed militants

*

Two men killed in separate incidents near settlements

*

Hamas praises attacks but does not claim responsibility

By Ali Sawafta

JENIN, - Clashes broke out between Israeli troops and Palestinian fighters in the occupied West Bank on Saturday as Israel pushed ahead with a military operation in the flashpoint city of Jenin.

Israeli troops searched areas around Jewish settlements after two separate security incidents on Friday evening. In Jenin itself, drones and helicopters circled overhead while the sound of sporadic firing could be heard in the city.

Hundreds of Israeli troops have been carrying out raids since Wednesday in one of their largest actions in the West Bank in months.

The operation, which Israel says was mounted to block Iranian-backed militant groups from attacking its citizens, has drawn international calls for a halt.

At least 19 Palestinians, including armed fighters and civilians, have now been killed since it began. The Israeli military said on Saturday a soldier had been killed during the fighting in the West Bank.

The Israeli forces were battling Palestinian fighters from armed factions that have long had a strong presence in Jenin and the adjoining refugee camp, a densely populated township housing families driven from their homes in the 1948 Middle East war around the creation of Israel.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said on Saturday a child had been taken to hospital in Jenin with a bullet wound to the head.

The escalation in hostilities in the West Bank takes place as fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas militants still rages in the coastal Gaza Strip nearly 11 months since it began, and hostilities with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement in the Israel-Lebanon border area have intensified.

Late on Friday, Israeli forces said two men were killed in separate incidents near Gush Etzion, a large West Bank settlement cluster located south of Jerusalem, that the military assessed were both attempted attacks on Israelis.

In the first, a car exploded at a petrol station in what the army said was an attempted car bombing attack. The military said a man was shot dead after he got out of the car and tried to attack soldiers.

In the second incident, a man was killed after the military said a car attempted to ram a security guard and infiltrate the Karmei Tzur settlement. The car was chased by security forces and crashed and an explosive device in it was detonated, the military said in a statement.

The two deaths were confirmed by Palestinian health authorities but they gave no details on how they died.

Troops combed the area following the two incidents. Security forces also carried out raids in the city of Hebron, where the two men came from.

Hamas praised what it called a "double heroic operation" in the West Bank. It said in a statement it was "a clear message that resistance will remain striking, prolonged and sustained as long as the brutal occupation's aggression and targeting of our people and land continue".

The group, however, did not claim direct responsibility for the attacks.

Israeli army chief General Herzi Halevi said on Saturday Israel would step up defensive measures as well as offensive actions like the Jenin operation.

Amid the gunfire, armoured bulldozers searching for roadside bombs have ploughed up large stretches of paved roads and water pipes have been damaged, leading to flooding in some areas.

Since the Hamas attack on Israel last October that triggered the Gaza war, at least 660 Palestinian combatants and civilians have been killed in the West Bank, according to Palestinian tallies, some by Israeli troops and some by Jewish settlers who have carried out frequent attacks on Palestinian communities.

Israel says Iran provides weapons and support to militant factions in the West Bank - under Israeli occupation since the 1967 Middle East war - and the military has as a result cranked up its operations there.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

Catch all the Business News , Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.

MoreLess
First Published:1 Sep 2024, 02:33 AM IST
Business NewsNewsWorldIsraeli troops, Palestinian militants clash in West Bank after incidents near settlements

Get Instant Loan up to ₹10 Lakh!

  • Employment Type

    Most Active Stocks

    Bandhan Bank share price

    211.00
    03:51 PM | 11 OCT 2024
    23.25 (12.38%)

    Tata Steel share price

    160.70
    03:51 PM | 11 OCT 2024
    1.05 (0.66%)

    Axis Bank share price

    1,174.25
    03:29 PM | 11 OCT 2024
    -9.5 (-0.8%)

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises share price

    130.10
    03:55 PM | 11 OCT 2024
    0.7 (0.54%)
    More Active Stocks

    Market Snapshot

    • Top Gainers
    • Top Losers
    • 52 Week High

    Cummins India share price

    3,611.75
    03:55 PM | 11 OCT 2024
    -169.6 (-4.49%)

    Star Health and Allied Insurance share price

    547.85
    03:59 PM | 11 OCT 2024
    -19.35 (-3.41%)

    Creditaccess Grameen share price

    1,081.40
    03:29 PM | 11 OCT 2024
    -38 (-3.39%)

    Jubilant Pharmova share price

    1,146.15
    03:55 PM | 11 OCT 2024
    -37.65 (-3.18%)
    More from Top Losers

    Nippon Life share price

    700.85
    03:53 PM | 11 OCT 2024
    59.15 (9.22%)

    Network 18 Media & Investments share price

    81.44
    03:52 PM | 11 OCT 2024
    5.16 (6.76%)

    Sonata Software share price

    608.50
    03:42 PM | 11 OCT 2024
    36.1 (6.31%)

    Triveni Turbines share price

    790.10
    03:29 PM | 11 OCT 2024
    45.85 (6.16%)
    More from Top Gainers

    Recommended For You

      More Recommendations

      Gold Prices

      • 24K
      • 22K
      Bangalore
      77,425.00780.00
      Chennai
      77,431.00780.00
      Delhi
      77,583.00780.00
      Kolkata
      77,435.00780.00

      Fuel Price

      • Petrol
      • Diesel
      Bangalore
      102.86/L0.00
      Chennai
      100.76/L0.00
      Kolkata
      104.95/L0.00
      New Delhi
      94.72/L0.00

      Popular in News

        HomeMarketsPremiumInstant LoanMint Shorts