The Media Line: 5 Palestinians Killed in Jenin as Israeli Forces Expand West Bank Operation

Five Palestinians, including a 60-year-old woman, were killed by Israeli forces in Jenin in the past 24 hours, the Palestinian Authority said on Tuesday, adding to a rising toll from one of the largest military operations in the West Bank in recent years. In a separate statement, the PA confirmed that its security forces had also killed a man wanted in connection with previous attacks on security headquarters.

Tuesday’s deaths brought the total number of Palestinians reported killed since January—when Israel launched a major offensive involving thousands of troops in cities and refugee camps in the northern West Bank—to over 30. While many of those fatalities have been members of Palestinian groups, the ongoing crackdown has claimed the lives of numerous civilians as well.

Israeli officials say their campaign targets Iranian-backed groups, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, who have fortified positions in densely populated refugee camps. However, international actors such as the United Nations, France, and Germany have voiced alarm at the scope of the operation and called for restraint, particularly as tens of thousands of Palestinians have been forced to leave their homes in the face of continuous raids.

In Jenin on Tuesday, Israeli special forces engaged in a gun battle with armed Palestinians, killing two and wounding another, according to the military. A separate confrontation left one more Palestinian dead when he allegedly opened fire on troops. The PA also reported the death of a 60-year-old woman, who was killed by gunfire at a checkpoint, and another man killed after his motorcycle was struck by an army vehicle.

Meanwhile, Palestinian security forces acknowledged killing a man wanted for repeated gun attacks on their headquarters—an act condemned by Hamas, which warned of “serious repercussions.” In a further escalation, Israeli settlers attacked the village of Umm Safa, near Ramallah, setting fire to three vehicles, according to the local council head.