The Latest | Israel’s two-day operation in the West Bank left 12 Palestinians dead and 25 injured

The Israeli military said on Thursday it had completed a two-day operation in the occupied West Bank in which 12 Palestinians were killed and 25 wounded, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Rising tensions over the Israel-Hamas war were also felt in the Red Sea, where a rocket hit the water near the key Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Thursday but caused no damage, and in Lebanon, where the State news agency National News reported that one person was killed and three students were injured in an Israeli drone strike as they passed by on a bus nearby, the agency said. More than 400 people have been killed in Lebanon since Israel and Hezbollah began a firefight in Gaza the day after the latest war began.

Norway, Ireland and Spain said on Wednesday they would recognize a Palestinian state. The Palestinians welcomed the move as a validation of their decades-long aspirations, while Israel recalled its ambassadors from the three countries.

It was the second blow to Israel’s international reputation this week, after the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor announced he would seek arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defense minister. The International Court is also investigating genocide allegations, which Israel has vigorously denied.

At least 35,000 Palestinians were killed, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.

Israel began its war in Gaza after the Hamas attack on October 7, in which militants stormed into southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people – mostly civilians – and kidnapping about 250.

At the moment:

– ICC prosecutor’s requests for arrest warrants against Israel and Hamas leaders spark debate over court’s role.

– Norway, Ireland and Spain recognize a Palestinian state in a historic step.

– Families of Israeli hostages release video of female soldiers being captured by Hamas.

– First aid from the US pier in Gaza has reached starving Palestinians, the United Nations says.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Gaza at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war.

Here is the latest information:

A rocket hits the Red Sea in a probable attack by the Houthi rebels. A nearby ship goes missing.DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A missile crashed in Red Sea waters near the key Bab el-Mandeb strait on Thursday, but caused no damage to a passing merchant ship. The attack was likely carried out by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center said.

The Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack, but it may take hours or even days for them to acknowledge their attacks.

The Houthis have carried out attacks on ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in recent months and demanded that Israel end the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians there. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostage.

According to the US Maritime Administration, the Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on ships since November, hijacking one ship and sinking another.

Shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has declined due to the threat. In recent weeks, the pace of Houthi attacks has slowed, although the rebels claim to have shot down US surveillance drones.

Twelve Palestinians were killed in Israel’s two-day operation in the West BankTEL AVIV, Israel – The Israeli military said Thursday it had completed a two-day operation in the occupied West Bank that left 12 Palestinians dead and 25 wounded, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The military launched the operation on Tuesday in the city of Jenin and an adjacent urban refugee camp as part of a crackdown on militants in the region. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group said its fighters fought against Israeli forces.

At least eight of the dead were claimed by militant groups as fighters: one from Hamas and seven from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed offshoot of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party. The Islamic Jihad group said an unknown number of its fighters were killed.

According to Wissam Abu Baker, the director of Jenin’s government hospital, a surgeon from a local hospital was among those killed. The surgeon was killed on his way to work, Abu Baker said.

The military initially did not provide further details about the operation.

Jenin and the adjacent urban refugee camp have long been a stronghold of the armed struggle against Israeli occupation, and the frequency of attacks by Israeli troops has increased during the war in Gaza.

Violence in the West Bank has increased since the Gaza war began. The Palestinian Ministry of Health says more than 500 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since October 7. Many were shot in armed clashes during military attacks, others for throwing stones or explosives at troops. People who were not involved in the clashes were also killed.

Israeli attack kills one student and injures three, Lebanese news agency reportsBEIRUT – Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reports that an Israeli drone strike killed one person and injured three students passing by on a bus nearby.

The agency said the attack on Thursday morning damaged the bus and destroyed a car on a road leading to the southern market town of Nabatiyeh. The injured students were taken to hospitals in the area, it said.

The man killed was identified as Mohammed Farran, whom Hezbollah identified as one of its members.

Israeli air strikes have killed numerous Hezbollah members in recent months.

The exchange of fire between Hezbollah and Israel began a day after the war between Israel and Hamas broke out on October 7. Since then, more than 400 people have been killed in Lebanon. Most of the dead were fighters, but more than 70 were civilians and non-combatants.