Israeli Forces ‘Kill’ Islamic Jihad Commander in West Bank Operation

AFP

Gaza:  Israeli forces announced on Friday the elimination of Mohammad Abdullah, the top commander of the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad for the Nur Shams refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.

The military reported that Abdullah was killed on Thursday during an airstrike on the Tulkarem camp.

In the operation, another militant was also killed, and Israeli troops recovered M-16 rifles and vests. Abdullah succeeded Muhammad Jabber, known as Abu Shujaa, who was killed in an Israeli strike in late August.

Islamic Jihad is aligned with Hamas, and both groups have been engaged in conflict with Israeli forces in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Violence has escalated in the West Bank since Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel in October last year.

According to the Ramallah-based health ministry, Israeli troops and settlers have killed at least 705 Palestinians in the West Bank since that time. Israeli officials report that at least 24 Israelis, including civilians and security personnel, have died in attacks by Palestinian militants or during Israeli military operations in the same period.

22 Dead in Israeli Strikes on Central Beirut 

Beirut was rocked by loud explosions as Israeli airstrikes targeted residential areas in the city’s center late Thursday, killing 22 people and injuring over 100, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.

Thick smoke filled the skies, and the sound of ambulance sirens echoed throughout the night as the strikes hit two central locations. This marks the deadliest attack on Beirut since Israel intensified its bombing campaign two weeks ago, escalating tensions further.