Israeli raids in occupied West Bank kill two, hundreds arrested

Israeli forces carried out overnight raids in the occupied West Bank, arresting hundreds and killing two people in the Jalazone refugee camp near Ramallah, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

Jalazone residents told Reuters news agency on Monday that Israeli forces raided the camp and carried out widespread arrests, where they clashed with gunmen and youths who threw stones.

About 20 people were arrested, according to the Health Ministry.

Israeli forces have currently retreated to the outskirts of the camp, the residents said.

The Israeli army has not issued a statement about the incidents.

At least 120 Palestinians were arrested across the West Bank overnight, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reports, including 59 in the city of Hebron, among which were 40 workers from the Gaza Strip.

More than 1,200 Palestinians have been arrested by Israeli forces in the West Bank. Hamas, the group ruling Gaza, attacked Israel on October 7, which was followed by heavy Israeli bombardments of the Strip.

The violence has killed at least 1,400 people in Israel and more than 4,600 in Gaza.

On Sunday, Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said the war against Hamas could take “months” but insisted it would be “the last Gaza war”.

Gallant stepped up the war of words with Hamas as he spoke with forces gathered for an expected ground invasion of the Palestinian enclave.

“It will take one month, two months, three months, and at the end, there will be no more Hamas,” Gallant said at an air force base whose location was not given by the Ministry of Defense.

“Before Hamas makes contact with our tanks and our infantry, they will know the shells from our air force.”

He added that Israel’s fighter jets “know how to make this precise, qualitative and mortal”.

“This should be the last war in Gaza for the simple reason that there will be no more Hamas,” Gallant said.