JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli forces killed a member of the Palestinian security services in the occupied West Bank whom they accused of being a militant. Tearful Palestinians on Sunday meanwhile laid to rest six people killed in Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip the day before, including a teenager.
Israel’s paramilitary Border Police said they carried out an operation in the West Bank village of Meithaloun to arrest Hassan Rabaiya, describing him as a wanted militant. They said he was killed in a shootout while trying to escape, and that the troops found a shotgun, weapons parts and around $26,000 in cash inside his home.
Meithaloun is near the northern West Bank city of Jenin, an epicenter of Israeli-Palestinian violence in recent years.
The Palestinian security services identified Rabaiya as a first lieutenant in its Preventive Security force, saying he was killed while “performing his national duty.”
The Palestinian Authority has been waging a rare crackdown on militants in Jenin in recent weeks, angering many Palestinians.
Last week, the Palestinian Authority ordered the Al Jazeera news network to suspend its operations in the West Bank. Israel has also banned the Qatar-based broadcaster, accusing it of being a mouthpiece for Hamas militants. Al Jazeera denies the allegations and accuses both Israel and the Palestinian Authority of trying to silence critical coverage.
The internationally recognized Palestinian Authority exercises limited autonomy in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank and cooperates with Israel on security matters. But Israel has long accused it of inciting violence and turning a blind eye to militants, while Palestinian critics view it as a corrupt and ineffective body that aids the occupation.
The West Bank has seen a surge of violence since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack out of Gaza ignited the war there. Israel captured both Gaza and the West Bank, as well as east Jerusalem, in the 1967 Mideast war, and the Palestinians want all three territories for their future state.
In Gaza, Palestinians held funeral prayers outside a hospital after six people, including a teenager, were killed in two Israeli strikes the night before.
The mother and grandmother of the 15-year-old who was killed peeled back the white funeral shroud and kissed his cheeks as they sobbed. A few dozen people then gathered for Muslim prayers outside the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central town of Deir al-Balah.
The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel nearly 15 months ago, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead.
Israel’s offensive has killed over 45,800 Palestinians in Gaza, according to local health officials. They say women and children make up over half the fatalities but do not distinguish between civilians and militants in their tally. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.
The war has caused widespread destruction in Gaza and displaced around 90% of the population of 2.3 million people, with many forced to flee multiple times.
___
Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip.
___
Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
