RAMALLAH, WEST BANK/GAZA, February 13 (Portal) – Israeli forces killed a Palestinian during an arrest raid in the occupied West Bank that led to clashes with gunmen on Monday, medical officials said, while airstrikes hit the Gaza Strip after a weekend of rocket launches from the Enclave.
In the West Bank, violence has simmered for months amid stalled Israeli-Palestinian diplomacy, raising concerns among foreign mediators about a possible spread to the Gaza Strip, whose Islamist Hamas rulers have mostly held back fire since a war in May 2021.
The Israeli army said troops have entered Nablus, amid hotspot areas in the northern West Bank, which have been the focus of its recent raids to apprehend suspected militants. The soldiers exchanged fire with armed men during the raid, sources said.
The militant group Den of Lions said they ambushed the troops. Palestinian medical officials said a 21-year-old man was killed. He was not immediately claimed by armed groups. There was no word of Israeli casualties.
last update
Watch 2 more stories
In Gaza, airstrikes hit what the military described as Hamas’ underground rocket foundry, calling it a response to a cross-border rocket launch on Saturday. This missile was shot down by Israel’s Iron Dome interceptor without causing damage.
Palestinians have disputed Israel’s account of the spot hit overnight in Gaza City, saying it was a beachfront banquet hall.
Hamas cadres took control of Gaza in 2007 and have fought several wars with Israel there since. When smaller factions in Gaza attack Israel, it generally retaliates against Hamas.
Saturday’s rocket launch was claimed by the Lion’s Den, a group previously not known to have a presence in Gaza.
Following Monday’s airstrikes, there were several new rocket launches against Israel, which set off sirens in its border towns. The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine group said it fired those rockets, which Israel said did no harm.
Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi and Ali Sawafta; writing by Dan Williams; Edited by Kim Coghill, Kenneth Maxwell and Toby Chopra
Our standards: The Thomson Portal Trust Principles.