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The West Bank Is Becoming Ground Zero in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

The West Bank Is Becoming Ground Zero in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Palestinian activist Khairi Hanoon waves the Palestinian flag as a convoy of Israeli military armored vehicles drives by during an army raid in Tulkarem, West Bank, Sept. 3, 2024 (AP photo by Majdi Mohammed).

More than a year after Hamas’ unprecedented attacks against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Gaza remains locked in protracted war and deepening humanitarian catastrophe. Israel has dealt significant blows to Hamas’ leadership and infrastructure. But the Islamist group is far from destroyed. It is now regenerating its ranks while waging a protracted insurgency against Israeli forces. Meanwhile, the West Bank is witnessing a serious increase of Israeli-Palestinian violence.

Even before Oct. 7, a Palestinian insurgency was growing in the West Bank amid an upsurge in popular support for armed resistance. This has been fueled by escalating Israeli settler attacks against vulnerable Palestinian communities and ever-more destructive Israeli military action, including the resumption of airstrikes on West Bank towns for the first time since the second intifada in the early 2000s.

Since the attacks of Oct. 7, Hamas has shifted tactics in the West Bank. The Fatah-affiliated Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades and Islamic Jihad still remain the most dominant armed groups there. But Hamas’ armed wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, which previously kept a low profile, appears to be increasingly active. It is now stepping up militant activities and dispatching West Bank operatives to carry out attacks against civilians in Israel, including a deadly shooting attack in Tel Aviv in October and a failed suicide bombing in August.

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