7 dead in Israeli operation

JERUSALEM: Palestinian authorities said seven people were killed in an Israeli military operation in the area of ​​the West Bank city of Jenin on Friday. The Israeli military said it was carrying out “anti-terrorist measures” there, which included an air strike.

The military said Israeli soldiers had “surrounded a building where terrorists had barricaded themselves” and exchanged gunfire with the occupants, while an airstrike in the area “hit several armed terrorists.”

The Palestinian Health Ministry said a total of seven people were killed, but did not say whether they died in the exchange of fire or the airstrike. Four of the dead were members of the militant group Islamic Jihad.

The clashes in Jenin, a known insurgent stronghold where the army frequently operates, came a day after an Israeli settlement monitoring group said the government plans to build nearly 5,300 new homes in settlements in the occupied West Bank.

The construction plans revealed by the Peace Now group are part of the hardline government’s efforts to expand settlements, a strategy aimed at consolidating Israel’s control over the West Bank and preventing a future Palestinian state. Palestinians want the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza – territories Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war – for an independent state.

Violence in the West Bank has escalated since the start of Israel’s Gaza war, sparked by the October 7 raid by Hamas militants on southern Israel, in which around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and over 200 taken hostage. The Palestinian Health Ministry says that over 500 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank since the war began. Most of them were killed in Israeli attacks and violent protests. The dead also include bystanders and Palestinians killed in attacks by Jewish settlers.

According to the Health Ministry, more than 38,000 Palestinians have died in the war in Gaza so far. The ministry makes no distinction between fighters and civilians in its count, but includes thousands of women and children.

Ceasefire talks appear to be getting back on track after weeks of stalemate. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Thursday he would send negotiators to restart talks, a day after Hamas handed mediators its latest response to a U.S.-backed deal proposal.

The resumption of talks appears to be another attempt by mediators from the US, Qatar and Egypt to bridge the divide that has repeatedly prevented an agreement in recent months. Hamas wants a deal that guarantees the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and an end to the war, while Netanyahu says the war cannot end until Hamas is destroyed.

Israeli negotiators are expected to arrive in Doha, the capital of Qatar, for the talks as early as Friday. American, Egyptian and Qatari representatives will also be present.