Death toll of Palestinians increase as amid attacks from Jerusalem

Deadly violence is on the rise in the West Bank as the Israeli military continues its pursuit of Palestinian militants following the recent Hamas attack from Gaza Over the past two weeks more than 90 Palestinians have lost their lives in the Israelioccupied territory primarily in clashes with Israeli troops according to a report in the Associated PressThis surge in violence threatens to open another front in the twoweekold war placing additional pressure on the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority The authority administers parts of the West Bank but is deeply unpopular among Palestinians due to its security cooperation with IsraelAccording to the report among the recent casualties six Palestinians were killed in separate incidents on Sunday including two who died in an airstrike on a mosque in the volatile Jenin refugee camp which Israel claimed was being used by militantsIts worth noting that Israel rarely employs air power in the West Bank even as it has launched airstrikes on Hamasruled Gaza since the militant groups crossborder incursion on October 7The death toll in Israel has also been significant with more than 1400 people killed the majority being civilians targeted in the initial Hamas assault The Hamasrun Health Ministry in Gaza reports that over 4300 Palestinians have been killed Meanwhile the Palestinian Health Ministry in the West Bank has confirmed 91 Palestinian casualties since October 7 the report further statedBefore the Hamas attack 197 Palestinians had been killed in the West Bank in the previous year as per an Associated Press count Additionally some Palestinians lost their lives in violent antiIsrael protests and in attacks by Jewish settlersIn response to the situation Israel has tightened its control over the territory closing crossings and checkpoints between Palestinian towns Israeli forces have detained over 700 suspects in the West Bank including 480 Hamas members since hostilities beganThe report stated Israels resumption of aerial attacks which reached a high intensity in Jenin represents a shift in military tactics The Israeli military described the AlAnsar Mosque in Jenin as a militant compound belonging to Hamas and Islamic Jihad a smaller more radical Palestinian militant group According to Israeli authorities these militants had carried out several attacks in recent months and were planning another imminent assaultThe escalating violence follows more than a year of increasing raids arrests in the West Bank and deadly Palestinian attacks on Israelis Israel captured the West Bank Gaza and East Jerusalem in the 1967 war while the Palestinians sought all three territories for a future stateThe issue of Israeli settlements in the West Bank home to over 500000 Israelis remains a significant point of contention The international community largely considers these settlements illegal while the more than 25 million Palestinians in the territory live under Israeli military rule The Palestinians view the settlements as the primary obstacle to resolving the conflict with Israel and substantial peace talks broke down over a decade ago the report further addedSettler violence against Palestinians has also intensified since the Hamas attack Palestinian authorities report at least five Palestinians killed by settlers with rights groups documenting incidents of settlers torching cars and attacking small Bedouin communities leading to forced evacuationsThe West Bank Protection Consortium a coalition of nongovernmental organizations and donor countries including the European Union reports that at least 470 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced in the West Bank due to settler violence since October 7 This is in addition to over 1100 people displaced since 2022