Israeli forces killed 70 in West Bank this year, Health Ministry says

The Palestinian Ministry of Health stated that since the beginning of this year, Israeli forces have killed 70 people in the occupied West Bank, including 10 children. Statistics released by the ministry on Monday showed that the comprehensive Israeli attacks resulted in 38 deaths in Jenin, 15 in Tubas, 6 in Nablus, 5 in Tulkarm, 3 in Hebron, 2 in Bethlehem, and 1 in occupied East Jerusalem.

Last month, shortly after the ceasefire in Gaza, the Israeli military launched a large-scale offensive in the region called "Iron Wall." This operation primarily targeted Palestinian armed groups from the Jenin area. The Ministry of Health pointed out that in addition to the 10 children killed, Israeli forces also killed one woman and two elderly Palestinians. The President of the Palestinian Authority (PA) condemned the Israeli attacks on Monday, emphasizing that Palestinians would not accept resettlement plans or "alternative homelands."

Palestinian Authority spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh stated in a release that, "(Israeli) occupying authorities are expanding their comprehensive war against the Palestinian people in the West Bank to implement plans aimed at displacing citizens and conducting ethnic cleansing." He further added that Israeli policies have led to hundreds being injured or detained, and "furthermore, entire residential areas in the Jenin and Tulkarm refugee camps have been destroyed, displacing thousands of citizens, and causing massive damage to infrastructure."

On Sunday, Israeli forces destroyed 23 buildings in the Jenin refugee camp, forcing approximately 15,000 Palestinians to leave the camp during the ongoing operations. Meanwhile, Faisal Salama, head of the People's Service Committee of the Tulkarm refugee camp, told Anadolu Agency that Israeli attacks in the Tulkarm refugee camp have displaced 75% of the Palestinians in the area. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) condemned the Israeli attacks on Monday, stating on the X platform, "Since the ceasefire in Gaza, there has been an escalation of extreme violence in the West Bank, particularly in the areas of Jenin, Tulkarm, and Tubas. This is unacceptable."

Doctors Without Borders warned that the Israeli blockade of Jenin has led to a shortage of "essential" supplies. "We have been providing 10,000 liters of fuel and 800,000 liters of water to Jenin Hospital. We have also provided hygiene kits, food, and mattresses to the Jenin and Tulkarm camps," MSF stated. Despite this, there are no signs of a slowdown in the Israeli offensive in the West Bank. On Monday, Israeli soldiers deployed heavy armored personnel carriers in raids across the occupied territories, indicating an escalation in the attacks. Israeli operations in the West Bank have escalated after the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement came into effect on January 19, following a 15-month war of genocide by Israel that has flattened the Gaza Strip and resulted in the deaths of nearly 62,000 Palestinians, including thousands missing and presumed dead.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza in October 2023, at least 882 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers.