Latest | 12 Palestinians killed and 25 injured in Israel’s two-day operation in West Bank

The Israeli military said on Thursday that it had completed a two-day operation in the occupied West Bank that left 12 Palestinians dead and 25 injured, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Tensions over the war between Israel and Hamas were also felt in the Red Sea, where a rocket crashed into the water near the key Bab el-Mandeb strait on Thursday but caused no damage. Also in Lebanon, an Israeli drone strike killed one person and wounded three students riding in a nearby bus, according to the state news agency. More than 400 people have been killed in Lebanon since the exchange of fire between Israel and Hezbollah the day after the latest war in Gaza began.

Norway, Ireland and Spain said on Wednesday they would recognize a Palestinian state. The Palestinians hailed the move as a vindication of their decades-long aspiration, 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 said he would seek arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defense minister. The International Court of Justice is also examining allegations of genocide, 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 the Gaza Strip after the Hamas attack on October 7, in which militants entered southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people – mostly civilians – and abducting 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 Hamas capture of female soldiers.

– 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’s the latest:

A rocket hits the Red Sea in a probable attack by the Houthi rebels. A nearby ship goes missing.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A missile splashed in Red Sea waters near the key Bab el-Mandeb strait on Thursday, but caused no damage to a passing merchant ship in an attack likely carried out by Britain’s Houthi rebels in Yemen This was announced by the military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center.

The Houthis have not immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but it may take hours or even days for them to admit their attacks.

The Houthis have carried out attacks on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in recent months and demanded that Israel end the war in Gaza that 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.

The threat has led to a reduction in shipping traffic across the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. In recent weeks, the frequency of Houthi attacks has decreased, although the rebels have claimed to have shot down US surveillance drones.

Twelve Palestinians were killed in Israel’s two-day operation in the West Bank

TEL AVIV, Israel – The Israeli military said Thursday that it had completed a two-day operation in the occupied West Bank that left 12 Palestinians dead and 25 injured, 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 area. The militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad said its fighters had been battling Israeli forces.

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

Among those killed was a surgeon at a local hospital, according to Wissam Abu Baker, director of Jenin State Hospital. The surgeon was killed on his way to work, said Abu Baker.

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.

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

According to the Lebanese News Agency, one student has been killed and three injured in an Israeli attack

BEIRUT — Lebanon’s state news agency reports that an Israeli drone strike killed one person and injured three students who were 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 airstrikes have killed numerous Hezbollah members in recent months.

The exchange of fire between Hezbollah and Israel began a day after the Israel-Hamas war 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.