At least 30 Palestinians killed in Israeli military operation in West Bank

RAMALLAH, Palestine

At least 30 Palestinians were killed and 130 others injured in Israel’s ongoing military operation in the northern West Bank since last week, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

“Six children and two elderly people were among the victims,” the ministry added in a statement.

Jenin saw the highest number of fatalities with 18 people killed, the ministry said.

The Israeli army launched a large-scale military operation in the northern West Bank on Wednesday, the largest in two decades.

The offensive came amid rising tensions in the occupied territory as Israel pressed ahead with its brutal onslaught on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 40,800 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7 last year.

At least 682 people have since been killed and over 5,700 others injured by Israeli fire in the West Bank, according to the Health Ministry.

The escalation followed a landmark opinion by the International Court of Justice on July 19 that declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land unlawful and demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala