Israeli troops killed at least four Hamas militants in gunfights on Sunday during raids against the terrorist group’s cells in the occupied West Bank, according to Israeli military officials.
Israeli army spokesman Lt. Col. Amnon Shefler said the country’s forces were involved in a joint operation with the Shin Bet internal security agency and the Israel Border Police when they came under fire while carrying out arrests in the West Bank on Sunday.
Shefler confirmed that at least four Hamas operatives were killed and several others were arrested in the overnight operation, according to Reuters. The spokesman added that the goal of the operation was to “stop a Hamas terrorist organization cell that is operating in Judea and Samaria with an intent to carry out terror attacks,” referring to the West Bank by its biblical names.
At least two Israeli soldiers suffered injuries and were airlifted to a hospital for medical treatment, according to a statement from the Israel Defense Forces.
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The Palestinian Health Ministry also said five Palestinians were killed but did not specify whether they belonged to Hamas. The Palestine Red Crescent ambulance service said four other Palestinians were wounded.
The Palestinian Authority, which has security forces that often coordinate with Israel to suppress Hamas and other militant groups, condemned the killings and said the Israeli government was “fully and directly responsible for this bloody morning and the crimes committed by the occupation forces.”
Israeli troops clashed with Palestinian gunmen during a raid in Jenin last month, resulting in four dead Palestinians. Recent violence along the West Bank has persisted as more than two dozen Palestinians have been killed in sporadic clashes with Israeli troops during protests over the past several months.
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The killings on Sunday were one of the deadliest violent conflicts between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants in the occupied West Bank in recent weeks, stemming from heightened tensions following the 11-day violent conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip in May this year.
