70 killed by airstrikes in West Bank since Oct 7, report finds
Israeli airstrikes have killed 70 in the West Bank since October 7, Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said in a report on March 24.
In addition to the country’s brutal and seemingly incessant war on Gaza, they have ramped up their aerial activity in the West Bank, carrying out 50 strikes since October.
The newspaper argued that the drastic rise in hostile activity in the occupied West Bank was to avoid potential ambushes by Palestinian militants, especially in refugee camps, as well as due to Israel not having enough boots on the ground in the territory.
The dwindling number of Israeli soldiers in the West Bank of course is due to the country having one eye elsewhere – Gaza.
The bloodstained territory, home to 2.2 million people penned in by Israeli forces, has seen rampant malnutrition due to lack of aid supplies entering, residents internally fleeing en masse and a death toll of over 32,000 since October 7.
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Israeli lawmakers have claimed that Gaza-controlling militant group Hamas is trying to urge armed groups in the West Bank to carry out operations against Israeli targets during Ramadan in order to “ignite the region“.
The territory has been subject to a collection of brutal raids with many civilians being killed, wounded, and wrongfully arrested.
Furthermore, extremist politicians in Netanyahu’s government have strongly backed new and major settlement plans.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for building on 800 hectares of land in the West Bank which would be the largest creation of a settlement since the signing of the 1993 Oslo Accords.
The potential settlement plan, which is a breach of international law, will take place at the Jordan Valley which forms the border between Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank to the west.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said that 450 had been killed and 5,000 had been injured in the occupied territory since October.
Yedioth Ahronoth
