At least three Palestinian militants were killed in Israeli military operations in the West Bank on Tuesday.
Two alleged gunmen were killed in a drone attack near Tubas after a “cell of armed terrorists” had previously fired on soldiers, the Israeli military said. According to the Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance service, an 18-year-old was among the dead.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also said on X that a fighter jet had targeted “terrorists” in an area of Tamun in the Jordan Valley. It was unclear if this was a separate attack to that near close-by Tubas.
In a second incident, a 40-year-old man was killed outside his home near Nablus. The Palestinian Islamist militia Hamas confirmed he was a member of its organization. The Israeli army said the man was killed in a gun battle at close range.
On Monday, three Israelis were killed in an attack on a bus in the northern West Bank.
A suspected Palestinian attacker had fired at a bus from a vehicle in al-Funduq, west of Nablus, and was on the run along with another individual.
The already tense situation in the West Bank severely worsened after the Hamas-led massacre of around 1,200 people in Israel on October 7, 2023, and the taking of hundreds of hostages, triggering the Gaza war.
Some 800 West Bank Palestinians have since been killed in Israeli military operations, armed clashes and attacks by extremists, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah.
Major meeting on hostages held, progress unclear
Israel’s envoy for hostages met his North American and European counterparts on Tuesday at the start of two days of talks aimed at the release of dozens of people – and bodies – still being held by Hamas in Gaza.
The envoys from the US, Canada, Britain, Germany and Austria came to Jerusalem especially for the meeting with Israeli Brigadier General Gal Hirsch, who is responsible for hostages and missing people, according to the office of Netanyahu.
Talks were also held with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and are planned with relatives of the hostages, as separate ceasefire negotiations in Qatar between the Israelis and Hamas rumble on.
Herzog said in a statement: “There is a major scar on our nation. There is a major scar on the face of the earth: the issue of the hostages.
“We want them back home as soon as possible. It’s a huge task. We are supporting and hoping and praying and also calling on all parties to the negotiations in Qatar to move forward as much as possible and end this huge tragedy.”
It was unclear if the meeting indicated any imminent progress in the talks on a ceasefire in Gaza and the captives’ return.
There were some recent signs of hope out of the talks in Qatar. But in the past these have repeatedly ended in disappointment for the families.
According to Israeli officials, the efforts are aimed at returning 100 people. Among them are four Israelis – including two dead soldiers – who have been held by the Palestinian Islamist militia for a decade.
Hamas wants to use the hostages to secure the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
The remaining hostages seized on October 7, 2023, include 83 men, 13 women and two children under 5. Of these, 86 are Israelis, 10 are foreigners – including eight people from Thailand, one Nepalese and one Tanzanian.
The Israeli hostages also include some people with German, US or Russian dual citizenship.
