Five Palestinian Hamas Members Killed in Israeli Attacks in the West Bank, Al Qassam Brigades Promise Retaliation

JAKARTA - Five Palestinian militants were killed in an Israeli army attack near the city of Jericho, the occupied West Bank, amidst the spotlight on escalating tensions and a rising death toll, as 2023 enters just its second month.

Hamas' armed wing, Al Qassam Brigades said all of those killed were its members, to avenge the deaths of its members in the storming of the Aqbat Jabr refugee camp, which Israel says was aimed at capturing gunmen who tried to attack Israel.

It is the latest in a near-nightly operation by the Israeli military targeting militants in the region.

The last two weeks have been a particularly bloody period, with deadly Israeli attacks and Palestinian attacks against Israel.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the operation on Sunday night aimed to capture a "Hamas terrorist cell" which it said was behind a gun attack a week earlier on a restaurant near a Jewish settlement near Jericho. No one was injured in the attack, according to the BBC.

Witnesses said there was an exchange of fire during the incident at the large Aqabat Jabr refugee camp in Jericho. Bullet holes and bloodstains can be seen on a small house in the middle of the battle.

IDF spokesman Ran Kochav said soldiers "neutralized the terrorists", some of whom he said were involved in the attack on the restaurant.

Separately, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the Israeli attack. The attack came during a period of heightened tensions that has raised fears of a further escalation of violence, prompting the United States and international agencies, including the United Nations, to call for restraint on both sides.

Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, is less prominent in the West Bank. The city and the Palestinian territories there are mostly administered by the Palestinian Authority (PA), which is dominated by Hamas's secular rival, Fatah.

The attack, coupled with the activity of Hamas cells, is unusual in Jericho, which has a concentration of PA security forces loyal to Fatah.

Meanwhile, the Governor of Jericho Jihad Abu al-Assal, said the bodies were being taken away by the IDF. Eight people were also arrested, he said.

It is known that at least 37 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank so far this year, including militants and civilians, as the military continues operations there.

Last year in the West Bank, more than 150 Palestinians were killed, almost all by Israeli forces. The dead included unarmed civilians, militant gunmen, and armed assailants.

Meanwhile, a series of attacks by Palestinians and Israeli Arabs targeting Israelis, as well as militant fire on troops during raids, killed more than 30 people including civilians, police, and soldiers.