The Israeli military says it has killed five more militants in a large-scale operation in the occupied West Bank, including a well-known local commander.
There was no immediate Palestinian confirmation on Thursday of the death of Mohammed Jaber, known as Abu Shujaa, a commander in the Islamic Jihad militant group in the Nur Shams refugee camp on the outskirts of the city of Tulkarem.
He became a hero for many Palestinians earlier this year when he was reported killed in an Israeli operation, only to make a surprise appearance at the funeral of other militants, where he was hoisted onto the shoulders of a cheering crowd.
Israel launched a large-scale operation in the West Bank overnight into Wednesday. Hamas said 10 of its fighters were killed in different locations, and the Palestinian Health Ministry reported an 11th casualty, without saying whether he was a fighter or a civilian.
Violence has surged in the West Bank since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack out of Gaza ignited the war there.
Here’s the latest:
TEL AVIV, Israel — Family members of hostages held by militants in the Gaza Strip gathered along the frontier to try to broadcast messages of support to their loved ones.
They set up a giant sound system on Thursday, hoping the captives might hear them.
“Hersh, Hersh, it’s Mama, Hersh,” yelled Rachel Goldberg-Polin, whose 23-year-old son Hersh was among the roughly 250 people taken hostage in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that ignited the war in Gaza.
“It’s day 328. We are all here, all the families of the remaining 107 hostages. Hersh, we are working day and night, and we will never stop!” she said.
Some family members, overcome with emotion, briefly entered a fenced-off zone along the border. Security forces brought them out after around 20 minutes, according to Israeli media.
The event was the culmination of a large convoy of cars that had left from Tel Aviv on Wednesday evening.
Family members are increasingly dismayed as negotiations over a cease-fire and the release of the hostages drag on with no sign of a breakthrough.
Hamas has said it will release the hostages in return for a lasting cease-fire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and the release of high-profile Palestinian prisoners. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he remains committed to destroying the militant group and returning all the captives.
“I will not give up until you return home, I will continue running to every place in the world until we bring a deal that will free you and all the hostages,” Yehuda Cohen, father of hostage Nimrod Cohen, yelled across the border.
BEIJING — U.S. mational security adviser Jake Sullivan says the negotiations over a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of hostages have made progress.
Speaking to reporters in Beijing on Thursday, he said “the negotiators are bearing down on the details, meaning that we have advanced the discussions to a point where it’s in the nitty-gritty, and that is a positive sign of progress.”
Officials from the United States, Egypt, Qatar and Israel have held several days of talks trying to hammer out an updated proposal that could be submitted to Hamas. But there has been no sign of a breakthrough, and Israel and Hamas remain far apart on key issues.
U.S. officials have said they are closing in on a deal, while Hamas has accused the United States of adopting unacceptable demands by Israel and trying to force them on the militant group. Officials in Egypt, one of the key mediators, have also expressed skepticism.
“At the end of the day, nothing is done until it’s done. And so we’re just going to keep working at this until we finally get the cease-fire and hostage deal across the line,” Sullivan said.
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