TEL AVIV – A top commander of the Palestinian resistance group, Islamic Jihad, was killed during an Israeli military raid in the occupied West Bank. The commander, Muhammad Jaber, also known as Abu Shuja, was martyred along with his brother in the clashes that took place in the Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarm.
According to Arab media, Islamic Jihad confirmed the martyrdom of their senior commander and his brother during the raid by Israeli forces. The Israeli military, in a statement, claimed that five armed militants were killed during the operation, including Muhammad Jaber.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that the death toll in the West Bank has reached 12 over the past two days due to ongoing Israeli military operations. Eyewitnesses informed AFP that Israeli forces have withdrawn from the Al-Far’a camp in Tubas, where ten Palestinians were killed a day earlier.
Meanwhile, clashes between Israeli forces and Islamic Jihad fighters continue in Jenin, with drones spotted flying overhead. The raid operations are also ongoing in Tulkarm.
These raids are part of Israel’s broader military campaign in the West Bank, which has intensified following the outbreak of the Gaza conflict on October 7. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has shortened his visit to Saudi Arabia to return to Palestine amid the escalating violence.
The West Bank, a Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967, is geographically separate from Gaza and Israel. The region has been under the control of the Palestinian Authority but has seen increasing violence and military action by Israeli forces and settlers.
Since the beginning of the Gaza conflict on October 7, Israeli forces and settlers have killed 637 Palestinians in the West Bank. Nineteen Israelis, including soldiers, have also been killed in the region.
In Gaza, the death toll from Israeli airstrikes has surpassed 40,500, with over 94,000 injured, the majority being women and children.
