Nine Palestinians Killed As Israeli Forces Press Into West Bank

At least nine Palestinians were killed on Wednesday, according to Palestinian authorities, as Israeli forces moved into the cities of Jenin and Tulkarm and other areas in the occupied West Bank.

The major attack, which carried out by helicopter and drones, came after smaller raids in the area in recent weeks as Israeli forces tried to defeat Palestinian militant groups, Reuters reported.

Israel is combatting Hamas fighters in Gaza while handling rising tensions with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement in southern Lebanon.

The Palestinian health ministry said Israeli troops surrounded Jenin’s main hospital with earthmounds to block fighters seeking refuge.

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Palestine’s military released the names of five Palestinians identified as militant fighters for Hamas and Islamic Jihad who were killed in Tulkarm on Monday.

In addition to the raids in Jenin and Tulkarm, the military said forces also raided the town of Far’a near Tubas in the Jordan Valley, killing at least four people in a drone strike.

Battles in the West Bank have risen sharply since the start of the Israel-Hamas War in Gaza.

Thousands of Palestinians have been arrested in raids and more than 660 fighters and civilians have been killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since the war in Gaza began almost 11 months ago, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

At least 30 Israelis have been killed in attacks in Jerusalem and the West Bank during the period, according to Israeli tallies.

Price Action: Defense companies experienced ups and downs into Wednesday’s mid-day trading, while exchange-traded funds that hold their stocks trended upward.

• Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) gained 0.55% to $563.51
• Boeing Co (NYSE:BA) slipped 1.47% to $170.50
• Northrup Grumman (NYSE:NOC) ticked down 0.12% to $511.84
• iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (BATS:ITA) picked up 0.38%
• Invesco Aerospace & Defense ETF (NYSE:PPA) went up 0.21%
• SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF (NYSE:XAR) rose 0.45%

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Image: Dimitrios Karamitros via Shutterstock