By Smartencyclopedia with Agencies

At least 11 Palestinians have been killed in a series of Israeli military operations in the northern West Bank, according to Palestinian officials. The deadly assaults included air and drone strikes in multiple locations, with significant clashes reported in the cities of Jenin and Tulkarm.

Five Palestinians were reportedly killed in an air strike on the al-Far’a refugee camp, while six others died in a drone strike and ensuing clashes in Jenin. Israeli security forces stated that these actions were part of a “counterterrorism operation to thwart terror” in the region.

This operation appears to be unprecedented in its scale, as it marks the first time since the second intifada (2000-2005) that multiple Palestinian cities—Jenin, Tulkarm, Nablus, and Tubas—have been targeted simultaneously.

Palestinian sources indicate that the main roads leading into Jenin have been closed off, with armed clashes reported within the city’s refugee camp. Additionally, an Israeli air strike allegedly targeted a vehicle in a nearby village at dawn.

The situation has escalated further with reports of Israeli forces entering a hospital in Jenin and blocking access to two hospitals in Tulkarm. Military raids in Nablus are reportedly concentrated on two refugee camps, and medics in Far’a camp near Tubas have stated that ambulances are struggling to reach the wounded following an Israeli drone strike.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz stated that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have been “operating with full force since last night in the Jenin and Tulkarm refugee camps to dismantle Iranian-Islamic terror infrastructures established there.” Katz accused Iran, which supports Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, of attempting to establish a new front against Israel in the West Bank.

“We must deal with the threat just as we deal with the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza, including the temporary evacuation of Palestinian residents and whatever steps are required,” Katz added.

The Israeli military has provided limited details but confirmed that the IDF, along with the internal security agency Shin Bet and the Israel Border Police, are “currently conducting a counterterrorism operation to thwart terror in Jenin and Tulkarm.” The situation remains fluid, with concerns over further escalation in the region.