September 9, 2024
ZEITA, West Bank (AP) — Two Israeli airstrikes in the West Bank killed nine Palestinian militants on Saturday, Israel's army said, as violence flared again in the Israeli-occupied territory with tensions high over the war in Gaza.
Cease-fire discussions on Gaza were set to continue, with an Israeli delegation led by the Mossad chief arriving in Cairo, an Egyptian official said.
In the northern West Bank, the Israeli army said its forces first struck a vehicle in a rural area outside the city of Tulkarem early morning, killing the five occupants. The army said they were on their way to carry out an attack. Hamas identified all five as militants with the group, including a local commander.
Later Saturday, Israel's military said it killed four other Palestinian militants in the Tulkarem area shortly after they opened fire on Israeli troops. No further information was immediately available.
The northern West Bank has seen some of the territory's worst violence. Tulkarem is regularly raided by Israeli forces, and Palestinian militant groups, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, are active there.
Concerns about a full-fledged regional war are high after the assassinations of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran early Wednesday and top Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur in Beirut the evening before.
Iran and its proxies, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, vowed to retaliate against Israel, which said it killed Shukur but has not confirmed or denied its role in Haniyeh's death. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said a short-range projectile was behind the killing and accused the United States of supporting the attack.
The Pentagon said late Friday that the U.S. military will move a fighter jet squadron to the Middle East and maintain an aircraft carrier in the region. The U.S. Embassy in Beirut encouraged citizens who wish to leave Lebanon “to book any ticket available to them," noting that several airlines have suspended or canceled flights.
Saturday midday, an Israeli delegation led by Mossad chief David Barnea arrived in Cairo, an Egyptian official said. The delegation, which also includes Ronan Bar, chief of Israel's internal security agency Shin Bet, will meet with Abbas Kamel, head of Egypt’s General Intelligence Service, for talks focusing on the Philadelphi corridor along the border with Egypt and the Rafah crossing point, the official said.
The Egyptian official, who has direct knowledge of the Gaza cease-fire negotiations, spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to brief reporters.
There was no immediate comment from Israeli officials. Netanyahu's office late Friday said he ordered the negotiation delegation to leave for Cairo on Saturday or Sunday.
