West Bank: 70 Palestinians killed by Israeli airstrikes since October 7

Israeli airstrikes have killed 70 Palestinians in the West Bank since October 7, marking a steep increase in Israel's use of aerial attacks in the occupied territory.

According to a report by Israel's daily newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth on Sunday, the Israeli air force has carried out at least 50 air strikes across the region since the war on Gaza started.

Yedioth Ahronoth said that this number of deaths from airstrikes was unprecedented and hadn't been seen since the Second Intifada, which lasted from 2000 to 2005.

It added that the escalation in airstrikes, using both drones and military aircraft, could be to avoid possible ambushes by Palestinian resistance fighters, especially in refugee camps.

Other possible motives include the Israeli army's desire to avoid direct confrontation with Palestinian fighters in the West Bank, and the lack of sufficient forces stationed in the occupied territory.

The lack of forces is due to the transfer of soldiers to Gaza during recent months, before most of them were returned again recently.

Israeli politicians have claimed that Hamas is trying to urge armed groups in the West Bank to carry out operations against Israeli targets during Ramadan in order to "ignite the region".

Since 7 October, 434 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank including East Jerusalem, including 421 by Israeli force and nine by settlers according to OCHA - the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 

Around 5,000 Palestinians have been injured, including 725 children, since 7 October in the West Bank  including East Jerusalem.

This article is based on an article by Naif Zaydani which appeared in our Arabic edition on 24 March 2024. To read the original article click here.