Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced that he has lifted restrictions on the use of warplanes in the West Bank and issued orders for the Israeli army to eliminate what he described as “armed battalions” there.
Gallant made these statements during a situation assessment session he held with the new commander of the central region in the Israeli army (responsible for military operations in the West Bank), Avi Blot, according to Israel’s Channel 14.
Gallant added: “I have also removed restrictions on the use of military drones in the West Bank to reduce the exposure of soldiers’ lives to danger.”
During the meeting, Gallant received a briefing on “the forces’ activities in the area to thwart operations and eliminate armed organizations in the refugee camps and improve security measures in local authorities (referring to settlements in the West Bank) to enhance the security of the population (settlers),” according to a statement issued by the Israeli Ministry of Defense.
The statement mentioned that Gallant “emphasized the need for continuous and systematic elimination of all forms of armed resistance, stressing that the Israeli army has full support to achieve this goal.”
Gallant said he instructed the central region command in the army and Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi to ensure that all activities of the armed battalions inside the refugee camps are thwarted and that these battalions are crushed in Jenin, Tulkarm, Tubas, and other places. “We will act as needed,” he stated.
Clashes in Tubas
This comes as armed clashes erupted with Palestinian resistance fighters on Sunday in Tubas, northern West Bank, after the Israeli army stormed the city, while Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians and their property in a village south of Nablus.
Additionally, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Affairs Authority and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club said in a joint statement that occupation forces arrested 26 Palestinians over the past two days, bringing the total number of detainees across the West Bank since October 7 to more than 9,750.
It is noteworthy that, in conjunction with its destructive war on the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army and settlers have escalated their attacks across the West Bank, including Jerusalem, resulting in 570 martyrs, about 5,350 injured, and around 9,750 detainees, according to official Palestinian sources.
