Israeli airstrike in West Bank kills two senior Hamas fighters

Israel’s Security Agency and Defence Forces identify fighters as Ahmed Abu Ara and Rafet Dawasi

RAMALLAH, WEST BANK:

Israel conducted an airstrike on Saturday in Jenin, located in the occupied West Bank, killing two senior Hamas fighters. The Israel Security Agency and Israel Defence Forces identified the fighters as Ahmed Abu Ara and Rafet Dawasi, both from the northern district around Jenin.

According to the Israeli authorities, these individuals were involved in planning a shooting attack in the Jordan Valley last week, which resulted in the death of an Israeli man, Yonatan Deutsch.

Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades confirmed the deaths, mourning the loss of the two fighters targeted in the airstrike. The Israeli military stated that the fighters were responsible for the attack on 11 August, where Palestinian gunmen opened fire on a main road in the occupied West Bank, killing Deutsch and wounding another individual.

Later on the same day, the Al-Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility for the killing of an Israeli soldier near the settlement of Mehola in the Jordan Valley, stating that their fighters carried out the operation and returned safely to their bases. Hamas indicated that this operation was in retaliation for an Israeli airstrike on a school in Gaza City, which had killed at least 90 displaced Palestinians.

The violence in the West Bank has escalated following the outbreak of war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas in October. This conflict has led to increased Israeli military raids, attacks by Jewish settlers, and Palestinian street violence. On Thursday, Israeli settlers killed at least one Palestinian in an attack on a village near Qalqilya, a move condemned by the United States, the United Kingdom, and France.

As violence continues to rise, a new round of talks aimed at ending the 10-month conflict in Gaza is scheduled to resume in Doha next week. There are growing concerns that the ongoing Gaza war and the escalating violence in the West Bank could lead to a broader regional conflict involving Iran and its proxies, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.