Israel classifies West Bank as combat zone as Netanyahu defiant on Gaza
Israeli operations in the West Bank have entered their seventh day as the death count passes 30.
The Israeli military continued its operations in the West Bank Tuesday with raids in Tulkarem and Jenin after classifying the occupied territory as a combat zone.
Israel Hayom reported on Tuesday that the Israeli military had changed the status of the West Bank, designating it as a critical front just behind Gaza.
In Tulkarem — a focal point of the Israeli military’s operations along with Jenin and Tubas — the military carried out a seventh day of raids, reportedly killing four Palestinians this morning, three of them minors.
Footage circulated on social media from Palestinian photojournalist Issam Rimawi showing medical teams assisting injured journalists after they were reportedly shot at by Israeli forces in Jenin.
Four journalists were injured while covering the Israeli raid in Jenin.
📸Issam Rimawi pic.twitter.com/JpQuWSTZZ6— NABA (@naba_pix) September 3, 2024
Since the beginning of Israel’s military venture into the West Bank on Aug. 28, the raids have killed over 30 people.
Israel has also continued its operations in Gaza with strikes in Gaza City and Deir al-Balah this morning, while Netanyahu remains firm in his position on Israel's military presence in Gaza despite a popular backlash.
Netanyahu, in a rare news conference in Jerusalem Monday evening, insisted that Israel must maintain a military presence along the Egypt-Gaza border in what is known as the Philadelphi Corridor.
His insistence on a continued military presence along the border enraged the families of dozens of hostages still believed to be alive in Hamas tunnels, who took to the streets to protest on Sunday and Monday.