Israeli strikes in the West Bank have killed at least nine people, according to Palestinian officials.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have launched raids across the occupied West Bank and sealed off the city of Jenin.
Israeli forces surrounded the city, blocking off exit and entry points and access to hospitals, the governor of Jenin, Kamal Abu al Rub, said on Palestinian radio.
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Israeli forces had blocked roads leading to a hospital with dirt barriers and surrounded other medical facilities in Jenin, the Palestinian Health Ministry added.
The Israeli military confirmed it was operating in the West Bank cities of Jenin and Tulkarm.
Seven people were killed early on Wednesday in Tubas, another West Bank city, and another two in Jenin, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Qassam Jabarin, 25, and Asem Balout, 39, were identified as the two people killed in Jenin, the ministry said.
This comes as, in the Gaza Strip, 16 people including five women and three children, were also killed in strikes overnight in the southern city of Khan Younis.
Images from a morgue in Tubas show a number of dead from the latest attacks as it appeared the Israeli military was operating in a number of cities across the West Bank.
The armed wings of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Fatah said in separate statements their gunmen were detonating bombs against Israeli military vehicles as they fought Israeli forces in the three West Bank areas.
Clashes with the Israeli military in the West Bank have risen sharply since the 7 October attacks and subsequent invasion of Gaza, while Israeli settlers have also launched frequent vigilante-style attacks on Palestinian communities.
Israel described the overnight operation as a “counter-terrorism” strike, and posting on X, minister for foreign affairs Israel Katz said: “The IDF has been operating with intensity since last night in the refugee camps of Jenin and Tulkarm to thwart Islamic-Iranian terrorist infrastructures that have been established there.”
He accused Iran of working to set up an “eastern terrorist front”.
Mr Katz added: “This is a full-fledged war, and we must win it.”
Unclear how long latest operation will last – but it’s biggest for some time
The IDF launched the military overnight on Tuesday. It is focused on the towns of Tulkarm and Jenin although other operations are ongoing elsewhere in the West Bank.
Israeli officials say they are acting against attempts by Iran to smuggle weapons and explosives into the West Bank and encourage terror attacks against Israelis.
The raids are not targeted at any specific militant group, although elements of Hamas and Islamic Jihad are one focus.
The IDF has used drones to strike targets and there are reports of helicopter gunships circling above Jenin. Roads in and out have been shut off and access to hospitals is blocked.
Violence in the West Bank, both attacks against Israelis but also IDF raids, has been on the rise since the start of 2023 and has increased further since 7 October.
Israel says more than 150 attacks have originated from the West Bank in the past eleven months.
A failed suicide bomb in Tel Aviv two weeks ago, which killed the attacker when it exploded in his rucksack and injured one other, is a dangerous development and has caused extreme concern in security circles.
It’s unclear how long this operation will last, the IDF is not putting a duration on it, nor are they saying how many soldiers are involved, but despite regular raids, sometimes daily, this is clearly one of the bigger operations for some time.
Five killed in Monday airstrike
Separately, the IDF said it had “eliminated five terrorists” operating in the area of Nur Shams, also in the West Bank, on Monday.
They released footage of an airstrike on a building they said was being used by terrorists.
Among those dead, they named Jibril Jasan Ismail, who they said was released as part of “the agreement in November 2023” – the same time Israel and Hamas conducted a large-scale hostage swap.
“Also eliminated were the terrorists Mohanad Qarawi and Muhammad Yussef … and the terrorist Adnan Jaber,” they added.
Thousands of Palestinians have been arrested in recent military raids in the West Bank, and at least 637 have been killed since the 7 October attacks, according to Palestinian health ministry figures.
Many of them are armed fighters but others are stone-throwing youths or uninvolved civilians.
At least 30 Israelis have been killed in attacks in Jerusalem and the West Bank during the same period, according to Israeli tallies.
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Ceasefire talks remain ongoing
The latest round of Israeli attacks comes as the US, Egypt, and Qatar continue to try and mediate a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Despite recent optimism, including US President Joe Biden saying they were “closer than we’ve ever been” to a deal, a number of obstacles remain.
One key sticking point in negotiations is the ongoing presence of Israeli forces in Gaza, particularly in the Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors, Sky News’ Middle East correspondent Alistair Bunkall said.
Israel wants to keep forces in the enclave for security and strategic reasons.
This includes preventing Hamas from rearming using routes such as the Philadelphi corridor – the border between Gaza and Egypt – which was used by the militant group for many years.
A total of 40,534 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its military response there after the 7 October attacks, according to the Hamas-run health ministry there. The ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its figures.
Israel retaliated in Gaza after Hamas killed around 1,200 people and took hundreds more hostage.
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