The Israeli military says it has killed a top Islamic Jihad commander inside a mosque in the West Bank amid a counterterrorism operation in Jenin and Tulkarm.
Early on Wednesday local time, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched the largest raids seen in the occupied West Bank for months.
Later on Wednesday, it confirmed reports from the humanitarian organisation Red Crescent that nine Palestinians were killed in the raids.
On Thursday, the IDF said five more people — including Mohammed Jaber — were killed inside a mosque in Tulkarm, bringing the total death toll to 14.
Hamas said 10 of its fighters were killed in different locations, and the Palestinian Health Ministry reported 12 casualties.
Mohammed Jaber, known as Abu Shujaa, was a commander in the Islamic Jihad militant group in the Nur Shams refugee camp on the outskirts of the city of Tulkarem.
Islamic Jihad confirmed in a statement that their top commander had been killed in the West Bank raids.
Earlier this year, he was reportedly killed in an Israeli operation but he became a hero for many Palestinians when he made a surprise appearance at the funeral of other militants.
He was hoisted onto the shoulders of a cheering crowd.
The IDF said he had been killed in the latest shootout, and linked him to numerous attacks on Israelis, including a deadly shooting in June
"Jabber, 'Abu Shujaa', was the head of a terrorist network in Nur Shams. Additionally, he was involved in carrying out numerous terrorist attacks, including a shooting attack in which an Israeli civilian, Amnon Muchtar, was murdered in June," an IDF statement on social media said.
In a statement posted on X on Wednesday, Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the IDF were working in "refugee camps to dismantle Islamic-Iranian terror infrastructures".
An ambulance being checked during an Israeli military operation in Jenin on Wednesday. (AP: Majdi Mohammed)
"We must address this threat by all necessary means, including, in some cases of intense combat, allowing the population to temporarily evacuation from one neighbourhood to another within the refugee camp to prevent civilian harm and to enable the dismantling of terror infrastructures established there," he said.
A military spokesperson said Wednesday's operation followed a sharp rise in militant activity in recent months, with more than 150 attacks from Tulkarm and Jenin involving shooting or explosives over the past year.
As well as the major raids in Jenin and Tulkarm, two of the most volatile cities in the northern West Bank, the military said forces also raided Far'a near Tubas in the Jordan Valley, killing at least four people in a drone strike.
UN concerned strikes and raids fuelling 'explosive situation'
UN chief Antonio Guterres, in a statement, called for an "immediate cessation" of the West Bank operation.
He condemned the use of air strikes on civilian targets and "the loss of lives, including of children".
"These dangerous developments are fuelling an already explosive situation in the occupied West Bank and further undermining the Palestinian Authority," the UN statement said.
The violence has caused significant destruction, especially in Tulkarem, whose governor described the raids as "unprecedented" and a "dangerous signal".
The Palestinian Prisoners' Club said at least 45 people had been arrested in the West Bank since the start of the Israeli operation.
World Food Programme staff come under fire
A World Food Programme (WFP) team came under fire near an Israeli check point at the Wadi Gaza bridge on Tuesday evening.
The humanitarian organisation has now announced it is pausing the movement of its employees in Gaza until further notice following the incident.
Two WFP armoured vehicles were escorting a convoy of trucks carrying humanitarian cargo routed to Gaza's central area with a team returning from a mission to Kerem Shalom.
A WFP team came under fire a few metres from an Israeli check point at the Wadi Gaza bridge. (World Food Programme)
Both trucks were visibly marked as being from the WFP and had received multiple clearances by the Israeli authorities to approach.
But as they approached the IDF checkpoint, a vehicle was directly struck by gunfire.
It sustained at least 10 bullets: five on the driver's side, two on the passenger side and three on other parts of the vehicle.
None of the employees onboard were physically harmed.
While it is not the first security incident to occur during the war, the WFP says it is the first time one of their vehicles has been directly shot at near a checkpoint, despite securing necessary clearances.
"This is totally unacceptable and the latest in a series of unnecessary security incidents that have endangered the lives of WFP's team in Gaza," said WFP executive director Cindy McCain.
A bulldozer from the Israeli forces during a military operation in the refugee camp of Al-Faraa. (AP: Nasser Nasser)
"As last night's events show, the current deconfliction system is failing and this cannot go on any longer. I call on the Israeli authorities and all parties to the conflict to act immediately to ensure the safety and security of all aid workers in Gaza."
Humanitarians are increasingly coming under fire and face a multitude of challenges to deliver life-saving aid in Gaza, the WFP says.
The Israeli military said in a statement on Wednesday that the incident was under review.
"The State of Israel is committed to improve coordination and security with humanitarian organisations to ensure the effective delivery of aid within the Gaza Strip," it said.
ABC/wires