The Israeli military said it had killed five more militants, including a well-known local commander, in a major operation in the occupied West Bank.
There was no immediate confirmation from the Palestinian side on Thursday of the death of Mohammed Jaber, known as Abu Shujaa, a commander of the militant group Islamic Jihad in the Nur Shams refugee camp on the outskirts of the city of Tulkarem.
He became a hero to many Palestinians earlier this year when he was reported killed in an Israeli operation, then made a surprise appearance at the funeral of other militants, where a cheering crowd hoisted him onto their shoulders.
Israel launched a large-scale operation in the West Bank on Wednesday night. Hamas said ten of its fighters had been killed in various locations and the Palestinian Health Ministry reported an eleventh death, but did not say whether it was a fighter or a civilian.
Since the Hamas attack from Gaza on October 7 sparked the war in the West Bank, violence has increased again there.
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Here is the latest information:
TEL AVIV, Israel – Families of hostages held by militants in the Gaza Strip gathered along the border to offer condolences to their loved ones.
They set up a huge sound system on Thursday in the hope that the prisoners could hear them.
“Hersh, Hersh, it’s Mama Hersh,” called Rachel Goldberg-Polin, whose 23-year-old son Hersh was among about 250 people taken hostage in the October 7 Hamas attack that sparked the war in Gaza.
“It’s day 328. We’re all here, all the families of the remaining 107 hostages. Hersh, we’re working day and night and we’re never going to stop!” she said.
Overwhelmed by their emotions, some family members briefly entered a cordoned-off zone along the border. Security forces brought them out again after about 20 minutes, Israeli media reported.
The event was the culmination of a large car convoy that left Tel Aviv on Wednesday evening.
Families are increasingly dismayed as negotiations over a ceasefire and the release of the hostages drag on with no sign of a breakthrough.
Hamas has said it will release the hostages in return for a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and the release of prominent Palestinian prisoners. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he remains committed to destroying the militant group and releasing all prisoners.
“I will not give up until you return home. I will continue to run around the world until we reach an agreement that will release you and all the hostages,” Yehuda Cohen, the father of hostage Nimrod Cohen, shouted across the border.
BEIJING – U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan says negotiations on a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages have made progress.
Speaking to reporters in Beijing on Thursday, he said: “The negotiators are focusing on the details. That means we have taken the discussions to the point where we are getting down to the nitty-gritty, and that is a positive sign of progress.”
Representatives from the United States, Egypt, Qatar and Israel have spent several days trying to work out an updated proposal that could be presented to Hamas. But a breakthrough is not in sight and Israel and Hamas remain far apart on key issues.
US officials have said they are close to an agreement, while Hamas accuses the US of adopting unacceptable Israeli demands and trying to impose them on the militant group. Officials in Egypt, one of the main mediators, have also expressed skepticism.
“Ultimately, nothing is done until it’s done. So we’re just going to keep working until we finally get the ceasefire and the hostage deal done,” Sullivan said.
BRUSSELS — Ireland’s foreign minister says Israel’s military campaign in Gaza is aimed not only at Hamas but also at the Palestinian population. He also called on the European Union to review its relations with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
“This is a war against the Palestinians, not just against Hamas. The number of civilian casualties and deaths is unbearable,” Martin said on Thursday at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. “It is a war against the people. There is no point in trying to cover it up.”
He said a recent ruling by the International Court of Justice declaring Israel’s occupation of Gaza and the West Bank illegal obliged the EU to act.
“Things cannot continue as they are,” Martin told reporters. “It is absolutely clear to us that international humanitarian law has been violated.”
Relations between the EU and Israel – both important trading partners – are governed by a so-called Association Agreement. Ireland and Spain are urging their EU partners to investigate whether Israel has violated the rules.
Martin also said that Ireland’s Department of Transport was investigating reports that Israel may have transported weapons through Irish airspace without authorisation.
“An exemption must be requested for all cargo aircraft carrying weapons. No exemptions have been requested for a single flight,” he said.
UNITED NATIONS — The UN Secretary-General calls for an immediate halt to Israel’s large-scale military operation in the West Bank.
Antonio Guterres also called on the Israeli government to comply with its obligations under international law and take measures to protect civilians, according to a written statement by his spokesman Stephane Dujarric late Thursday.
The United Nations says Israel’s use of airstrikes and other military assets in the West Bank governorates of Jenin, Tulkarm and Tubas has resulted in casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure. The Israeli military says at least 10 Palestinian militants were killed in the operation.
The statement also called for injured people to be given access to medical care and for humanitarian workers to be able to distribute relief supplies to those in need.
“These dangerous developments exacerbate the already explosive situation in the occupied West Bank and further weaken the Palestinian Authority,” the statement said.
BRUSSELS — The European Union’s top diplomat says the bloc should consider imposing sanctions on several Israeli ministers over their comments on the war in Gaza.
“Some Israeli ministers have spread hateful messages, unacceptable hate messages against the Palestinians and proposed things that clearly violate international law and incite further crimes,” said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
Borrell did not name the ministers, but earlier this month criticised Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich for his comments that starving the more than two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip could be “just and moral” until the hostages captured in the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7 were returned to their homeland.
Borrell said there should be “no taboos” preventing the EU from ensuring that international humanitarian law is respected. Borrell chaired a meeting of the Union’s foreign ministers in Brussels on Thursday and wanted them to discuss possible sanctions.
But the 27 EU member states are divided over how to deal with the Gaza war, and it is unlikely that they would all agree on such a step.
UNITED NATIONS – The UN food agency says it is “suspending” the movements of all its personnel in the Gaza Strip until further notice after one of its clearly marked vehicles was hit by at least 10 bullets en route to an Israeli military checkpoint at the Wadi Gaza Bridge in the center of the area.
The World Food Programme’s statement on Wednesday afternoon said the vehicle was hit on Tuesday evening despite Israeli authorities giving multiple permissions to approach. “None of the staff on board were physically injured,” the WFP said.
The agency said two WFP armored vehicles returned from the Kerem Shalom crossing after escorting a truck convoy carrying humanitarian aid into central Gaza.
“Although this is not the first security incident during the war, it is the first time that a WFP vehicle has been directly shot at near a checkpoint, despite the necessary authorizations having been obtained in accordance with standard protocol,” the Rome-based agency said.
The incident is “a stark reminder that the humanitarian space in Gaza is shrinking at an ever-increasing rate and that increasing violence is undermining our ability to deliver life-saving assistance.”
The WFP said the critical situation was exacerbated by “restricted access and increased risks”, which had led to a decline in food supplies to Palestinians who urgently need them.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the vehicle was hit by Israeli military fire, “including bullets targeting the front windows.” He said the incident showed that more UN armored vehicles were needed, adding that the two occupants of the WFP vehicle were saved because it was armored.
JERUSALEM – Israeli authorities said Wednesday they had recovered the body of a soldier who was kidnapped and killed by Hamas on Oct. 7 and held in the Gaza Strip since then.
The Israeli military and the domestic intelligence service Shin Beit rescued the remains of the fallen soldier in a joint operation overnight and brought them to Israel, a statement said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mourned the man’s death, saying he fell on October 7 “in a heroic battle” while defending Israeli communities near Gaza.
“The heart of the entire nation mourns this terrible loss,” Netanyahu said.
At the request of the family, the soldier’s name was not disclosed.
The war in Gaza broke out when Hamas-led militants swept into southern Israel and wreaked havoc in army bases and farming communities, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting about 250. The militants still hold 107 hostages, about a third of whom are believed to be dead, after most of the rest were released during a ceasefire in November.
