Qassam Brigades Claims Responsibility for Jordan Valley Retaliatory Shooting Op.

By Staff, Agencies

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement, has claimed responsibility for a retaliatory shooting operation in the strategic Jordan Valley, located in the occupied West Bank.

This action comes amid escalating tensions as “Israeli” offensives against the besieged Gaza Strip intensify.

In a statement, the Qassam Brigades confirmed that their West Bank-based fighters successfully executed the operation, killing an “Israeli” soldier at close range on Sunday afternoon, before safely returning to their bases.

The group emphasized that the operation was in direct response to the recent “Israeli” airstrike on a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza City, which resulted in the deaths of over 100 Palestinians and left dozens more injured.

The statement also highlighted that Hamas fighters in the occupied West Bank have "renewed their allegiance" to Yahya Sinwar, the new leader of the Gaza-based movement.

“Israeli” sources, including the “Magen David Adom” ambulance service, reported that an “Israeli” settler was killed and another was wounded when Palestinian opened fire near the “Mehola” Junction on Route 90, the main north-south highway in the Jordan Valley.

The “Israeli” settler was identified as 23-year-old Yonatan Deutsch from Beit She’an.

Since the onset of the “Israeli” assault on the Gaza Strip in early October 2023, the West Bank has witnessed a surge in violence, with “Israeli” forces conducting near-daily raids into Palestinian villages and cities.

According to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, at least 615 Palestinians, including 144 children, have been martyred by “Israeli” forces in the West Bank since the conflict began.

The ongoing war against Gaza has claimed the lives of at least 39,790 Palestinians, the majority of whom are women and children.