Israeli military says it killed Hamas commander and two other fighters in occupied West Bank

(CNN) — Israel’s military said it killed three Hamas members, including a commander, as its offensive in the occupied West Bank entered its third day.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Friday it killed Wissam Khazem, whom it described as the Hamas leader in the city of Jenin, in an exchange of gunfire after he was identified “in a vehicle in the area.” The military said it had found weapons and money in the vehicle.

Two others were also killed as they tried to flee the vehicle, according to the Israeli military, naming them as Maysara Masharqa and Arafat Amer. The IDF said both men belonged to Hamas and “operated under the command of Khazem and took part in shooting attacks against Israeli communities.”

In a statement, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, acknowledged the three men’s deaths and confirmed Khazem was one of its leaders in Jenin. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a network of Palestinian armed groups, said Masharqa was its “most prominent field commanders” in Jenin.

As of Friday, 19 Palestinians have been killed during an expansive Israeli military operation in the West Bank that includes the cities of Jenin, Tubas and Tulkarem, according to the Palestinian ministry of health and Palestinian groups.

A total of 11 Palestinian militants have been killed in the Israeli operation, according to a CNN count. Of those, five were killed Thursday during an exchange of fire “within and near a mosque” in Tulkarem. The IDF said it had killed Muhhamad Jabber, known as Abu Shujaa, the leader of the local branch of the militant group Islamic Jihad, which later confirmed Jabber’s death.

Friday’s firefight came after Israel launched one of the largest assaults on the occupied territory in years. Stressing the need to root out what he called “Islamic-Iranian terrorist infrastructure,” Foreign Minister Israel Katz called for a Gaza-style operation in the West Bank.

Katz warned that Iran was working in the West Bank to establish an “eastern front” against Israel, working alongside its proxies Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

Israel’s renewed offensive in the West Bank has sparked criticism from senior United Nations and Western officials. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said Thursday that Israel’s operation is “deeply concerning.”

Clashes in the West Bank have become more frequent since Israel began its war in Gaza in response to Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on October 7.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported Tuesday that 652 Palestinians, including 150 children, have been killed in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem since October 7, with over 5,400 others injured.

Since Israel began its occupation of the West Bank in 1967, the number of Jewish settlements has swelled in the territory, despite being considered illegal under international law.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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