US Seeks to Halt Escalation in West Bank

Israeli soldiers arrest a Palestinian youth during clashes in Hebron in the occupied West Bank (AFP)
Israeli soldiers arrest a Palestinian youth during clashes in Hebron in the occupied West Bank (AFP)
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US Seeks to Halt Escalation in West Bank

Israeli soldiers arrest a Palestinian youth during clashes in Hebron in the occupied West Bank (AFP)
Israeli soldiers arrest a Palestinian youth during clashes in Hebron in the occupied West Bank (AFP)

The US administration has launched talks with the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel in an effort to contain the escalation in the West Bank.

The US urged officials from both sides to de-escalate.

Channel 12 reported that American, Israeli, and Palestinian security officials held talks to reach a de-escalation in the northern West Bank.

The Palestinians responded that Israel should first stop its raids against the cities to give them a chance to negotiate with the armed men and reach an agreement. They confirmed that they are seeking to de-escalate but the Israelis are hindering their work, the Israeli report added.

Eleven armed men were arrested including Palestinian security officers who had links with the “Lion’s Den” group in Nablus.

Israel's Channel 12 said that the PA negotiated with the Lions' Den group and other armed men in Nablus and Jenin, with the aim of disarming them in return for a pardon.

This measure had been previously used by the PA with the Fatah party's Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade at the end of the 2nd intifada. This was a success back then and the armed men were integrated in the Palestinian security bodies.

Palestinian sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that there are intensive talks to stop security from deteriorating in the West Bank. Egypt, Jordan, and the UN take part in them.

The PA also demanded that Israel halt its accusations of the authority being weak.

Israel killed five Palestinians in Nablus on Tuesday including the leader of the group.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported that Israel aims to dismantle the Lion’s Den after it killed a soldier in Nablus in the past weeks and carried out other operations.

“Despite the organization’s relatively low membership, any claim as to its elimination heard in the near future will sound unreliable, as there is no actual organizational background or clear-cut hierarchy,” said Amos Harel, in his Op-ed for Haaretz.

“The Lions’ Den is more of an idea than an organizational structure, and as such it is harder to stop it from spreading,” he added.

Israeli forces stormed the city of Nablus on Wednesday and arrested activists of ties with the group including the brother of Ibrahim al-Nabulsi, whom Israel assassinated.

Meanwhile, an Israeli military drone crashed in Nablus Old City on Wednesday morning, the army said.

The drone crashed due to a technical malfunction, it added. There did not appear to be a risk that classified information could have been retrieved from the fallen device, the army said.



Israeli Strikes Kill 14 in Gaza and Destroy Heavy Equipment Needed to Clear Rubble 

Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike that hit machinery, in Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, April 22, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike that hit machinery, in Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, April 22, 2025. (Reuters)
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Israeli Strikes Kill 14 in Gaza and Destroy Heavy Equipment Needed to Clear Rubble 

Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike that hit machinery, in Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, April 22, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike that hit machinery, in Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, April 22, 2025. (Reuters)

Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip killed at least 14 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and destroyed bulldozers and other heavy equipment that had been supplied by mediators to clear rubble. A separate strike in Lebanon on Tuesday killed a member of a local group.

Israel's 18-month offensive against Hamas has destroyed vast areas of Gaza, raising fears that much of it may never be rebuilt. The territory already had a shortage of heavy equipment, which is also needed to rescue people from the rubble after Israeli strikes and to clear vital roads.

A municipality in the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza said a strike on its parking garage destroyed nine bulldozers provided by Egypt and Qatar, which helped broker the ceasefire that took hold in January. Israel ended the truce last month, renewing its bombardment and ground operations and sealing the territory's 2 million Palestinians off from all imports, including food, fuel and medical supplies.

The strikes also destroyed a water tanker and a mobile generator provided by aid groups, and a truck used to pump sewage, the Jabaliya al-Nazla municipality said.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the strikes. The military says it only targets fighters and blames civilian deaths on Hamas because the group operates in densely populated areas.

Israeli strikes kill 14, mostly children

An Israeli airstrike early Tuesday destroyed a multistory home in the southern city of Khan Younis, killing nine people, including four women and four children, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies. The dead included a 2-year-old girl and her parents.

“They were asleep, sleeping in God’s peace. They had nothing to do with anything,” said Awad Dahliz, the slain girl's grandfather. “What is the fault of this innocent child?”

A separate strike in the built-up Jabaliya refugee camp killed three children and their parents, according to the Gaza Health Ministry's emergency service.

Israel's air and ground war has killed over 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants. Israel says it has killed around 20,000 fighters, without providing evidence.

The war began when Hamas-led gunmen attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 people hostage. They are still holding 59 hostages, 24 of whom are believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.

Hamas has said it will only free the remaining hostages in return for the release of Palestinian prisoners, a full Israeli withdrawal and a lasting ceasefire. Israel has said it will keep fighting until the hostages are returned and Hamas has been either destroyed or disarmed and sent into exile. It has pledged to hold onto so-called security zones in Gaza indefinitely.