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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Shin Bet security service announced that they have carried out an operation in the occupied West Bank against a cell that was planning “imminent” attacks.
A joint statement by the IDF and Shin Bet said that a warplane struck a hideout in the Balata refugee camp close to the city of Nablus.
Those killed in the operation included Muhammad Zahad, described in the statement as a “senior terrorist” in Nablus who was involved in a number of shooting attacks, including an April Jerusalem attack in which at least two Israelis were wounded.
The statement alleged that Zahad formed and armed a cell of youths, which he deployed to carry out attacks against Israeli civilians and troops.
It also said that Israeli forces uncovered an explosives laboratory, and that devices had been planted along and under the streets of Balata.
During the operation, Palestinian fighters opened fire toward Israeli troops, the statement added. However, there were no Israeli casualties.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said that five people were killed in the Israeli strike on Balata. Israel’s Haaretz reported that four of those killed were affiliated with Fatah’s al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, citing “hospital testimonies.”
Israel stepped up operations in the West Bank after the October 7 Hamas-led surprise attack from the Gaza Strip. Since then, at least 211 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied region, not including the five who lost their lives in the last strike. More than 2,400 others were wounded.
There have also been a surge in attacks targeting Israeli civilians and troops in the West Bank and the city of Jerusalem. More escalation is expected as long as the Israeli large-scale offensive on Gaza is ongoing.
