The Israeli military said its forces killed five Palestinian militants in the occupied West Bank on Thursday in a second day of “counter-terrorism” operations that have killed 14 in total.
“Following exchanges of fire, the forces eliminated five terrorists who had hidden inside a mosque” in Tulkarem on Thursday morning, the military said.
Among the dead is Muhammad Jaber, known as Abu Shuja’a, who had been previously reported by Palestinian media to be the commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s local wing in the Nur Shams camp in Tulkarem.
Thursday’s violence comes after the Israeli army killed at least 10 Palestinians in the West Bank on Wednesday. The army said these operations were meant to contain attacks on Israelis. The army also described one of the people killed in the mosque as involved in a shooting attack on an Israeli civilian in June. The other four were reportedly “terrorists”.
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This attack occurred after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the situation as “deeply concerning” calling on Israel to stop its operations.
Phone and internet services were down in Jenin on Wednesday, according to Palestinian telecommunications company Jawwal.
On Wednesday, the military said it killed ten militants in simultaneous raids in the cities of Tulkarem, Jenin and Tubas.
Sanctions Against Israeli Ministers
Josep Borrell, the head of European diplomacy, is set to propose sanctions against Israeli ministers whom he accuses of spreading “hatred” against Palestinians.
Borrell indicated that he has “initiated the process to ask member states, if they so choose,” to impose sanctions on these unnamed ministers who have disseminated “unacceptable messages of hatred against the Palestinians.”
“I believe that the European Union should have no taboos and use its tools to ensure respect for human rights,” he emphasized to the press shortly before an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers.
The proposal targets Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, both of whom are associated with the far right, according to diplomats.
This proposal is unlikely to succeed, however, given the deep divisions between the 27 since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.
Several countries, including Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic, support Israel’s right to defend itself and are blocking the adoption of strong measures against the Israeli authorities.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto described Mr. Borrell’s proposal as “dangerous.”
The head of German diplomacy, Annalena Baerbock, was reluctant to accept the idea of sanctions, pointing out that unanimity is needed to reach a decision.
European sanctions include a ban on travel to EU territory and seizure of assets held in the EU.
With AFP
