Fighting is raging in the northern West Bank, on the fourth day of a vast Israeli military operation against armed groups in this occupied Palestinian territory, whose inhabitants describe “dark days”. In the besieged Gaza Strip and devastated by nearly eleven months of war, polio vaccines were administered on Saturday. But it is not until this Sunday that the vaccination campaign will officially begin, thanks to “humanitarian pauses” of three days each, accepted by Israel, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
In addition, the Israeli army announced on Sunday that it had identified the bodies of six hostages brought from Gaza to Israel. Five of them – aged 23 to 32 – had been abducted from the Nova techno music festival by Hamas commandos during the deadly attack on October 7.
Key information to remember
⇒ Bodies of six hostages found in the Gaza Strip
⇒ Israeli army operation in West Bank continues
⇒ Polio vaccinations begin in Gaza
Netanyahu vows to ‘settle scores’ with Hamas
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened on Sunday to “settle the score” with the Palestinian Hamas, after the death of six hostages, whose bodies were found in the Gaza Strip, according to the Israeli army. “He who kills hostages does not want an agreement” for a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, he said, threatening the Islamist movement: “We will pursue you, we will catch you and we will settle your score.”
Bodies of six hostages found in Gaza Strip
The bodies of six hostages taken during the Hamas attack on Israeli soil on October 7 have been found in the Gaza Strip, including that of Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, US President Joe Biden announced Saturday evening. “Earlier today, in a tunnel under the city of Rafah, Israeli forces recovered six bodies of hostages held by Hamas,” including that of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, he explained in a statement, saying he was “devastated and outraged.”
“Make no mistake, Hamas’s leaders will pay for these crimes. And we will continue to work around the clock to reach an agreement that secures the release of the remaining hostages,” the US president said. Referring to the young man’s parents, Jon and Rachel, who “have tirelessly and irrepressibly defended their son and all the hostages held in unconscionable conditions,” he said “I admire them and share their grief more deeply than words can express.” Of the 251 people kidnapped on October 7, 97 are still being held in Gaza, including 33 who have been declared dead by the army.
West Bank: Fighting continues in Jenin
Two men and a woman were killed this Sunday in an “armed attack” in the south of the occupied West Bank, a Palestinian territory where the Israeli army is conducting a vast “anti-terrorist” operation, reported Israeli emergency services. Two of the victims are in their thirties, while the third, a man in his fifties, succumbed to his injuries after being evacuated. This Sunday morning, the Israeli army confirmed that the three dead in the attack in the West Bank were Israeli police officers. During the night from Friday to Saturday, two attacks carried out by Palestinians had already targeted Jewish settlements in the same region.
In total, at least 22 Palestinians, mainly fighters, have been killed by the Israeli army in the West Bank since Wednesday, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. All “terrorists”, the army said. According to the Wafa news agency, an octogenarian is among those killed. The Israeli army launched this operation by sending columns of armored vehicles supported by aircraft to Jenin, Tulkarem, Tubas and their refugee camps, strongholds of armed groups active against the Israeli occupation. This operation, described as “anti-terrorist” by the army, has raised concerns and protests from the international community. Israeli incursions are daily in the occupied West Bank, the scene of deadly violence that has flared up since the start of the war in Gaza but rarely reaches such a scale.
Israeli army announces death of one of its soldiers in its operation in the West Bank
The Israeli army announced on Saturday the death of one of its soldiers on the fourth day of its operation in the occupied West Bank, where fighting is now concentrated in the Jenin refugee camp, a stronghold of Palestinian armed groups fighting against the Israeli occupation. The army added that another soldier was “seriously injured” in the same “operation” without giving further details.
Two men and a woman were killed Sunday in an “armed attack” in the south of the occupied West Bank, a Palestinian territory where the Israeli army is conducting a vast “anti-terrorist” operation, Israeli emergency services reported. Two of the victims are in their thirties, while the third, a man in his fifties, succumbed to his injuries after being evacuated. Also this Sunday morning, the Israeli army confirmed that the three dead in the attack in the West Bank were Israeli police officers. During the night from Friday to Saturday, two attacks carried out by Palestinians had already targeted Jewish settlements in the same region.
Polio vaccinations begin in Gaza
A Hamas health ministry official said polio vaccinations began Saturday in Gaza, with a humanitarian worker saying the campaign would be expanded starting Sunday, the date the UN has declared a “humanitarian pause.” Israeli authorities said the vaccinations would be administered from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday through Tuesday in the central Gaza Strip.