According to Palestinian reports, Israel’s soldiers murdered at least nine Palestinians during a series of raids across the occupied West Bank on Wednesday and blocked off the unstable city of Jenin.

Although Israel has been conducting raids in the West Bank almost every day since Hamas’ terror strike from Gaza on October 7 started the continuing conflict there, this one seemed to be the biggest in almost 20 years.
Terrorist organizations in Palestine claimed to be engaging in gunfire with Israeli forces. On Palestinian radio, Jenin’s governor, Kamal Abu al-Rub, said that Israeli soldiers had encircled the city, obstructing hospitals’ entrance and departure ports while demolishing camp infrastructure.
The Israeli military said that it was conducting operations in Jenin and Tulkarem, two West Bank cities, but it did not elaborate.
The Palestinian Health Ministry reports that since the conflict in Gaza started more than ten months ago, Israeli fire has killed at least 652 Palestinians throughout the West Bank. The majority have perished in these operations, which frequently result in gunfights with terrorists.
According to Israel, the activities are necessary to destroy Hamas and other extremist organizations and stop Israeli assaults, which have increased since the war’s beginning.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, two people were murdered in Jenin and seven people were slain early on Wednesday in Tubas, a different West Bank city. Asem Balout, 39, and Qassam Jabarin, 25, were the two murdered in Jenin, according to the ministry.
During the 1967 Middle East War, Israel took control of the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem. In their future state, the Palestinians hope to have all three.
More than 500,000 Jewish settlers live in the several settlements that Israel has constructed throughout the West Bank. While the 3 million Palestinians in the West Bank live under Israeli military authority and the Palestinian Authority has limited control over population centers, they are citizens of Israel.
On October 7, terrorists headed by Hamas broke into southern Israel and went on a rampage through army facilities and farmland towns, murdering over 1,200 people, largely civilians, and kidnapping about 250 more. This marked the start of the Gaza War. About one-third of the 110 captives that the militants still hold are thought to be dead. The majority of the other hostages were freed during a cease-fire in November.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, Israel reacted with an attack that has killed over 40,000 Palestinians; it is unclear how many of those murdered were terrorists. 90% of Gaza’s population has been forced to flee, often more than once, as a result of Israeli ground operations and shelling that have wreaked immense havoc.
For months, the US, Qatar, and Egypt have been attempting to broker a cease-fire that would result in the release of the remaining captives. However, despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s declaration of “total victory” over Hamas and the militant group’s demands for an ongoing cease-fire and a complete evacuation of the region, the negotiations have continually broken down.
