West Bank a possible ‘third front’ for Israel in a wider war
- Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas, which staged a brutal attack on October 7 that killed 1,400 Israelis
- As it prepares for a Gaza ground invasion, the Israeli military said it was bracing for attacks in the West Bank
Violence in the occupied West Bank has surged since Israel began bombarding the Gaza Strip and clashing with Hezbollah at the Lebanon border, fuelling concerns the flashpoint Palestinian territory could become a third front in a wider war.
Israel is waging war against the militant Hamas group in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, but Israeli soldiers and settlers pulled out of Gaza in 2005. Israel still occupies the West Bank, captured with Gaza in a 1967 Middle East war.
Hamas, which controls Gaza, killed more than 1,400 people in a surprise attack in Israel on October 7, prompting an Israeli bombardment that has killed 3,500 in Gaza. Israel is preparing a full-scale ground assault on Gaza to destroy Hamas.
Western countries supporting Israel fear a wider war that would open up Lebanon, with its Iran-backed group Hezbollah, as a second front and the West Bank as what Israeli media call a potential third front.
02:27
Israel defence minister says troops to see Gaza ‘from inside’ soon, hinting at ground invasion
Clashes between Israeli soldiers and settlers and Palestinians have already turned deadly. More than 70 Palestinians have been killed in West Bank violence since October 7 and Israel has arrested more than 800 people.
Israeli forces raided and carried out an air strike in a Palestinian refugee camp in the West Bank on Thursday, killing at least 12 people, Palestinian officials said, and Israeli police said an officer was killed during the raid.