In a pre-dawn operation on Tuesday, Israeli forces conducted a raid on the village of Kafr Qud, located west of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, resulting in the deaths of three Palestinians. The operation involved air strikes and intense exchanges of fire, according to local media reports. The Palestinian General Authority for Civil Affairs identified the deceased as Abdullah Mohammed Omar Jalamneh, 27, Qais Ibrahim Mohammed al-Baytawi, 21, and Ahmad Azmi Aref Nashrati, 29. Israeli media stated that the army had cornered the three men inside a cave before snipers shot them, killing two and wounding the third. Subsequent air strikes killed the remaining individual, and Israeli forces later seized at least two of the bodies. The Israeli army claimed the men were planning attacks in the area but provided no further evidence. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz announced that forces would remain in northern West Bank refugee camps, including Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams, which have been targeted since January, causing widespread destruction. Hamas and the Islamic Jihad condemned the raid, labeling it a ‘dangerous escalation.’ Since October 2023, Israeli forces have increasingly used air strikes in the West Bank, with over 100 such attacks reported in the past two years. UN figures reveal that more than 1,000 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed by Israeli fire during this period, including 213 children, 20 women, and seven individuals with disabilities. This death toll represents 43 percent of all Palestinians killed in the occupied West Bank over the past two decades.
