Israel on Wednesday launched a major operation in the occupied West Bank, which has seen increasing unrest and violence amid the war in Gaza. Two days of raids have killed 16 Palestinians – Israel said nearly all of them were Hamas militants – and involved gun battles, arrests, and airstrikes.
The Israeli military, which sent forces into Jenin as well as two refugee camps in the West Bank, said the operation was targeting terrorists. “This is a war in every respect, and we must win it,” Israel Katz, the Jewish state’s top diplomat, posted. Katz also pushed for the “temporary evacuation of Palestinian residents.” Meanwhile, Hamas has called on Palestinians in the West Bank to “rise up.”
Israel has accused Iran of smuggling weapons into the West Bank and fomenting conflict there. But Wednesday’s operation also comes just days after Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant issued warnings about extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank and criticized the far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir — accusing him of emboldening militant settlers and endangering Israel.
Over 650 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since Oct. 7, according to Palestinian Health Ministry figures, amid a rise in Israeli operations and violent attacks by settlers. At least 30 Israelis have also died in attacks in Jerusalem and the West Bank during the same period, according to Israel.
How does this relate to Gaza? The operation in the West Bank is not necessarily an expansion of the war in Gaza, but the two are intrinsically linked. “There are linkages between Gaza and the West Bank and what happens in those two areas and other fronts in the region (and vice versa),” says Sofia Meranto, a Middle East analyst for Eurasia Group.
“There's a risk of further escalation in the West Bank over the coming period,” says Meranto, which is primarily tied to the deteriorating security situation and increasing violence atop a “worsening economic situation for Palestinian communities” in the occupied Palestinian territory.
