Israel Says It Killed Local Hamas Commander in West Bank
The Israeli military said on Tuesday that its forces had killed a Hamas military commander in the city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank as it expanded on a series of raids that have displaced tens of thousands of Palestinians.
Israeli soldiers killed Aysar al-Saadi, the head of a local group of Hamas militants, in a shootout, the Israeli military said in a statement. The raid took place as Israeli forces “expanded the counterterrorism operation” in the northern West Bank “to additional areas in Jenin,” the military said.
Hamas mourned Mr. al-Saadi’s death, calling him a commander in its armed wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. It was unclear how far his killing would go to subdue the militants: The Israeli military said late last year that its forces had killed one of his predecessors, Waseem Hazem, only to see the groups persist.
In late January, Israel launched a major operation targeting Palestinian militants, storming neighborhoods in cities like Jenin and Tulkarm. About 40,000 Palestinians have fled their homes, according to the United Nations, often to nearby towns and villages where they have been sheltering for weeks, in the largest wave of displacement in the territory in decades.
The Israeli military has said that it did not intend to displace Palestinians. But Israel Katz, the Israeli defense minister, said last month that he had ordered the military not to allow those who fled to return home. Mr. Katz said the Israeli military was preparing to remain in the areas it had captured for at least several months.
Israeli leaders have said the campaign targets Palestinian armed groups like Hamas. The militants grew in power in recent years as the internationally backed Palestinian Authority, which has limited governing powers in the West Bank, largely left the fight to Israel.
After the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, ignited the war in Gaza, Israeli military leaders feared that another front could open in the occupied West Bank, leading them to tighten their crackdown on the militant groups. Palestinian Authority forces also launched their own operation in January, albeit with limited success.
But the raids have also further embittered ordinary Palestinians, who are coming off some of the deadliest years in memory in the occupied West Bank. More than 800 Palestinians — including hundreds of civilians — have been killed in the territory since the Oct. 7 attacks, according to the United Nations.
