The Israeli military says it has killed five more militants in a large-scale operation in the occupied West Bank, including a well-known local commander.
There was no immediate Palestinian confirmation on Thursday of the death of Mohammed Jaber, known as Abu Shujaa, a commander in the Islamic Jihad militant group in the Nur Shams refugee camp on the outskirts of the city of Tulkarem.
He became a hero for many Palestinians earlier this year when he was reported killed in an Israeli operation, only to make a surprise appearance at the funeral of other militants, where he was hoisted onto the shoulders of a cheering crowd.
Israel launched a large-scale operation in the West Bank overnight into Wednesday. Hamas said 10 of its fighters were killed in different locations, and the Palestinian Health Ministry reported an 11th casualty, without saying whether he was a fighter or a civilian.
Violence has surged in the West Bank since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack out of Gaza ignited the war there.
Here’s the latest:
Brussels — Ireland’s foreign minister says Israel is targeting Palestinian people and not just Hamas with its military campaign in Gaza, and he wants the European Union to review its ties with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
“This is a war against Palestinians not just against Hamas. The level of civilian casualties and dead is unconscionable,” Martin said Thursday at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. “It’s a war on the population. No point in trying to fudge this.”
He said a recent ruling by the International Court of Justice that Israel’s occupation of Gaza and the West Bank is unlawful obliges the EU to take action.
“It cannot be business as usual,” Martin told reporters. “It is very clear to us that international humanitarian law has been broken.”
Ties between the EU and Israel — which are major trading partners — are governed by a so-called Association Agreement. Ireland and Spain have been pressing their EU partners to examine whether Israel has broken the rules.
Martin also said that Ireland’s transport department was looking into reports that Israel may have transported weapons through Irish airspace without permission.
“Any cargo planes carrying weapons must seek exemptions. Exemptions have not been sought in respect of any flights,” he said.
UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. secretary-general is calling for an immediate halt to Israel’s large-scale military operation in the West Bank.
Antonio Guterres also called on Israel’s government to comply with its obligations under international law and take measures to protect civilians, according to a written statement from his spokesman Stephane Dujarric late Thursday.
The United Nations says Israel’s use of airstrikes and other military means in the Jenin, Tulkarm and Tubas governorates of the West Bank resulted in casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure. Israel’s military says at least 10 Palestinian militants have been killed in the operation.
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