Israel’s Foreign Minister calls for Gaza-like measures in the West Bank amid major military offensive
Occupied Palestine (Quds News Network)- Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz said that “threats” in the occupied West Bank should be dealt with in the same manner as those in Gaza, as the Israeli military launched its largest operation in the West Bank since Operation Defensive Shield in 2002. Katz made these comments on his social media page, stating that the Israeli army has been conducting an intensive attack since last night in the Jenin and Tulkarm refugee camps, killing and injuring dozens of citizens accusing them of being “Iranian-backed Islamic terrorist infrastructure.”
Katz claimed that Iran is working to create a “terrorist front” against the occupation state from the West Bank, “similar to the models in Gaza and Lebanon.” He also called for a temporary evacuation of Palestinians in these areas and any other necessary measures, saying, “This is a war for everything, and we must win it.”
In this context, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported the possibility of a “planned evacuation of Palestinian civilians according to expected combat zones” during the military operation.
The Israeli military announced that it began a wide-ranging operation in Jenin, Tulkarm, and Tubas in the northern West Bank early Wednesday morning. Palestinian resistance factions declared their intention to confront the incursions and carry out specialized operations.
According to the official Israeli radio, this military campaign in the northern West Bank is the largest since Operation Defensive Shield in 2002, involving the air force and significant ground forces. Yedioth Ahronoth also reported that the operation is being conducted on a divisional level, with the Israeli internal security agency (Shin Bet) and undercover units joining the army’s efforts, and helicopters and fighter jets being used extensively.
The Palestinian Red Crescent announced that 11 Palestinians were killed in the Israeli incursion into the occupied West Bank, including children.
