Eight Injured in Tel Aviv Attack Amid Israeli Operation in the West Bank

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On Tuesday, a Palestinian individual rammed his car into a busy bus stop in Tel Aviv and initiated a stabbing spree, wounding eight people. The Islamist extremist organization, Hamas, lauded the attack, citing it as a retaliation to Israel’s ongoing military operation in the West Bank under occupation.

Police Chief Kobi Shabtai reported at the site of the incident that a civilian, who was armed, had fatally shot the attacker.

This assault occurred concurrently with an intensified Israeli military search for Palestinian militants and weaponry in a refugee camp. Amid the chaos of the military bulldozers clearing pathways and residents fleeing, the two-day death toll for Palestinians rose to 10.

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The extensive raid in the Jenin camp, initiated on Monday, is one of the most severe military operations in the West Bank under occupation for nearly 20 years.

This operation mirrors Israeli military strategies during the second Palestinian uprising in the early 2000s. It also coincides with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu facing rising pressure from ultra-nationalist allies to strongly counter the recent attacks on Israeli settlers, which include a shooting incident last month that claimed four lives.

However, the ongoing violence differs from the intensity of the second intifada, with the current military operations primarily targeting several Palestinian militant strongholds.

Violence has escalated over the past year in the West Bank, with over 140 Palestinians killed. At least 26 Israeli lives have been claimed by Palestinian attacks.

Hamas applauded the attack in Tel Aviv, labeling it as “heroic” and as retribution for the Jenin operation. The group later stated that the driver was a member, although the specifics of whether the group dispatched the attacker or if he acted independently remained unclear. Islamic Jihad, another militant group with a significant presence in Jenin, also lauded the attack.

Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency, identified the assailant as a West Bank Palestinian without any previous security record. Police Chief Shabtai revealed that several individuals connected to the attacker had been detained.

Earlier in the day, debris scattered the streets of Jenin. Intermittent plumes of black smoke marked the skyline over the camp, known for its history of violence since the escalation of Israeli-Palestinian conflict in spring 2022.

Jenin Mayor, Nidal Al-Obeidi, disclosed that approximately 4,000 Palestinians had evacuated from the Jenin refugee camp, seeking shelter with relatives or in designated refuge centers. The camp was reported to be without water or electricity.

A general strike was observed across the West Bank in protest against the Israeli raid. The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed that the two-day death toll had increased to 10, with two more deaths reported overnight. Israel’s military claimed the deceased were militants, but did not provide details.

During Tuesday’s operations, the military confiscated weapons, explosives, and dismantled tunnels beneath a mosque in the camp. Israeli media reported that since Monday, at least 120 suspected Palestinian militants had been arrested.

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, an Israeli military spokesperson, stated on Monday that the operation had been initiated in response to approximately 50 attacks originating from Jenin in the past year.

The West Bank’s Palestinian self-governance, along with three Arab nations – Jordan, Egypt, and the UAE – that have normalized relations with Israel, denounced Israel’s incursion

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