The Palestinian Red Crescent has announced that at least 11 people were killed during a large-scale Israeli military incursion into the northern West Bank that began early on Wednesday.

The Israeli military confirmed the launch of a large-scale operation at dawn, targeting Palestinian fighters in Jenin, Tulkarm, and Tubas in the northern West Bank. 

According to Al-Jazeera, the operation, reportedly the largest since the 2002 Operation ‘Defensive Shield’, involves extensive use of the Israeli air force, large ground forces, and support from the Israeli Internal Security Service, Shabak, and undercover units.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported difficulties in reaching the casualties due to the camp’s blockade by Israeli occupation forces, which have been preventing ambulances from accessing the area and obstructing rescue operations.

Two Palestinians were killed in the Fara refugee camp in Tubas, in the northern West Bank.

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Snipers were also reportedly deployed extensively inside and around the camps, and the areas were heavily patrolled by drones, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz suggested that measures similar to those used in Gaza, including temporary evacuations, may be necessary in the occupied West Bank. 

Al-Jazeera cited reports from Israeli media indicating the possibility of organized evacuations of Palestinian civilians during the operation.

Resistance Fights Back

In response to the Israeli operation, various Palestinian groups, including the Al-Qassam Brigades, the Al-Quds Brigades, and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, announced armed resistance operations, including shooting attacks, clashes, and targeting Israeli military vehicles. 

Palestinian fighters claimed responsibility for the destruction of a bulldozer and the targeting of Israeli army vehicles with explosive devices.

The Al-Quds Brigades said in a statement that the resistance operation is named “Horror of the Camps” and vowed to inflict severe damage on the Israeli forces. 

Israeli forces raid the Askar refugee camp, east of Nablus. pic.twitter.com/jKBUbb9qqU

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The brigades also announced that their fighters “were able to detonate a high-powered explosive device in a zionist military bulldozer on the Nablus Street axis, achieving direct hits among its crew and putting it out of service.”

Al Jazeera’s correspondent reported widespread clashes and explosions across several areas, including Salem, Qusra, and Beit Furik near Nablus, as well as Tubas, the Fara camp, and the Jenin area.

The West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967, has seen an increase in military incursions, with the situation escalating significantly since Israel began its genocidal war on Gaza on October 7.

According to official Palestinian sources, more than 640 Palestinians have been killed, and about 5,400 wounded in the West Bank since October 7, 2023, due to Israeli raids.

(PC, AJA)