Israeli strikes in the West Bank kill at least nine, Palestinian officials say, as city of Jenin ‘sealed off’

Israeli strikes in the West Bank have killed at least nine people overnight, according to Palestinian officials.

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have launched raids across the occupied West Bank and sealed off the city of Jenin.

Israeli forces surrounded the city, blocking off exit and entry points and access to hospitals, the governor of Jenin, Kamal Abu al Rub, said on Palestinian radio.

The Israeli military confirmed it was operating in the West Bank cities of Jenin and Tulkarm.

Seven people were killed early on Wednesday in Tubas, another West Bank city, and another two in Jenin, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Qassam Jabarin, 25, and Asem Balout, 39, were identified as the two killed in Jenin, the ministry said.

Images from a morgue in Tubas show a number of dead from the latest Israeli attacks.

Clashes with the Israeli military in the West Bank have risen sharply since the 7 October attacks and subsequent invasion of Gaza.

Israel described the overnight operation as a “counter-terrorism” strike, and posting on X, minister for foreign affairs Israel Katz said: “The IDF has been operating with intensity since last night in the refugee camps of Jenin and Tulkarm to thwart Islamic-Iranian terrorist infrastructures that have been established there.”

He accused Iran of working to set up an “eastern terrorist front”.

Mr Katz added: “This is a full-fledged war, and we must win it.”

Five killed in Monday airstrike

Separately, the IDF said it had “eliminated five terrorists” operating in the area of Nur Shams on Monday.

They released footage of an airstrike on a building they said was being used by terrorists.

Among those dead, they named Jibril Jasan Ismail, who they said was released as part of “the agreement in November 2023” – the same time Israel and Hamas conducted a large-scale hostage swap.

“Also eliminated were the terrorists Mohanad Qarawi and Muhammad Yussef … and the terrorist Adnan Jaber,” they added.

Thousands of Palestinians have been arrested in recent military raids in the West Bank, and at least 637 have been killed since the 7 October attacks, according to Palestinian health ministry figures.

Many of them are armed fighters but others are stone-throwing youths or uninvolved civilians.

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Ceasefire talks remain ongoing

The latest round of Israeli attacks comes as the US, Egypt, and Qatar continue to try and mediate a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

Despite recent optimism, including US President Joe Biden saying they were “closer than we’ve ever been” to a deal, a number of obstacles remain.

One key sticking point in negotiations is the ongoing presence of Israeli forces in Gaza, particularly in the Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors.

Israel wants to keep forces in the enclave for security and strategic reasons.

This includes preventing Hamas from rearming using routes such as the Philadelphi corridor – the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt – which was used by the militant group for many years.

A total of 40,476 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its military response there after the 7 October attacks, according to the Hamas-run health ministry there. The ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its figures.

Israel retaliated in Gaza after Hamas killed around 1,200 people and took hundreds more hostage.

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