Hamas commander killed in West Bank, Israeli military says
It comes after several days of strikes by the Israeli military in the West Bank, which Palestinians see as a widening of the war in Gaza.
Friday 30 August 2024 11:21, UK
Israeli border police say they have killed a senior Hamas commander in the West Bank.
The military says Wassem Hazem was killed in a car it said contained weapons, ammunition and large quantities of cash.
Two other Hamas gunmen were killed by a drone while trying to escape from the vehicle, it said.
There was no immediate comment from Hamas.
In the village of Zababdeh, just outside Jenin, a burnt-out car riddled with bullet holes stood against a wall where the
driver crashed the vehicle after being pursued by an Israeli special forces unit, residents said.
It comes as the UK says it is "deeply concerned" by Israel's ongoing operation in the occupied West Bank, warning that risk of instability was serious and that there was an urgent need for de-escalation.
Israel says the raids across the northern West Bank over the last few days which have killed at least 19 people, nearly all militants, are aimed at preventing attacks.
However Palestinians see them as a widening of the war in Gaza and an effort to perpetuate Israel's decades-long military rule over the territory.
In a statement, the UK's foreign office added: "The risk of instability is serious and the need for de-escalation urgent.
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"We continue to call on Israeli authorities to exercise restraint, adhere to international law, and clamp down on the actions of those who seek to inflame tensions.
"The UK strongly condemns settler violence and inciteful remarks such as those made by Israel's National Security Minister Ben-Gvir, which threaten the status-quo of the Holy Sites in Jerusalem."
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