THE ISRAELI ARMY said that it had killed “a number of terrorists” in three air strikes yesterday in the occupied West Bank, where a new operation was underway around the village of Tamun.

Eyewitnesses reported a “large” deployment of Israeli forces around Tubas and Tamun, the scene of recent violence.

An AFP journalist said the army was blocking the exits of the nearby Faraa refugee camp and entering homes. Drones were also visible in the sky.

The army said early today that a “tactical group” had begun operations around Tamun and uncovered weapons.

It added it was “extending the counterterrorism operation… to five villages”.

The Israeli occupation forces also said they had destroyed several buildings in the area. 

“As part of the operation to thwart terrorism… the IDF (military) recently destroyed several buildings in Jenin,” the army said in a statement, adding that the structures “were used as terrorist infrastructure”.

The day before, the air force “struck and eliminated a terrorist cell on its way to carry out an imminent terrorist attack” in Qabatiya the day before, the military said.

“After the strike, secondary explosions due to explosives that were inside the vehicle were identified,” it added.

The military said one of those killed had been released from Israeli detention in 2023 as part of the first truce in the Gaza war.

It also reported conducting two strikes in Jenin on Saturday.

The Palestinian health ministry said on Saturday evening that Israeli strikes in the Jenin area had killed five people, including a 16-year-old.

When asked about that strike, the military told AFP it had “struck armed terrorists”.

Last month, the Israeli military launched a major offensive in the West Bank dubbed “Iron Wall” aimed at rooting out Palestinian militant groups from the Jenin area of the West Bank.

Jenin and its adjacent refugee camp have long been a hotbed of Palestinian resistance and violence there and across the territory has soared since the Gaza war broke out in 2023.

Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 881 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the war, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

At least 30 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks or Israeli military raids in the territory over the same period, according to Israeli official figures.

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