At Least 7 Killed in Israeli Raid and Airstrikes on West Bank

Israeli military vehicles followed by a military bulldozer operate during an Israeli raid at Al-Farea refugee camp, near the West Bank city of Tubas, 05 November 2024. (EPA)
Israeli military vehicles followed by a military bulldozer operate during an Israeli raid at Al-Farea refugee camp, near the West Bank city of Tubas, 05 November 2024. (EPA)
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At Least 7 Killed in Israeli Raid and Airstrikes on West Bank

Israeli military vehicles followed by a military bulldozer operate during an Israeli raid at Al-Farea refugee camp, near the West Bank city of Tubas, 05 November 2024. (EPA)
Israeli military vehicles followed by a military bulldozer operate during an Israeli raid at Al-Farea refugee camp, near the West Bank city of Tubas, 05 November 2024. (EPA)

At least seven people were killed on Tuesday during an Israeli military raid and airstrikes on the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said.

Five of the seven people were killed in two separate Israeli attacks in and near the city of Qabatiya, while the two others were killed in the Tammoun area, the ministry said.

The Israeli military said its aircraft had targeted a group of gunmen and that its forces had arrested 60 fighters.

The Islamic Jihad's armed wing, Al-Quds Brigades, said its fighters had clashed with Israeli forces in both Qabatia and the Tamoun areas.

Violence has surged in the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza, with almost daily sweeps by Israeli forces that have involved thousands of arrests and regular gunbattles between security forces and Palestinian fighters.



US Journalist Missing in Syria Since 2012 Is Believed to Be Alive, Says Aid Group

A banner for journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared while reporting in Syria in 2012, hangs outside the National Press Club building in Washington, US, May 2, 2023. (Reuters)
A banner for journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared while reporting in Syria in 2012, hangs outside the National Press Club building in Washington, US, May 2, 2023. (Reuters)
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US Journalist Missing in Syria Since 2012 Is Believed to Be Alive, Says Aid Group

A banner for journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared while reporting in Syria in 2012, hangs outside the National Press Club building in Washington, US, May 2, 2023. (Reuters)
A banner for journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared while reporting in Syria in 2012, hangs outside the National Press Club building in Washington, US, May 2, 2023. (Reuters)

American journalist Austin Tice is believed to be still alive, according to the head of an international aid group.

Nizar Zakka, who runs the Hostage Aid Worldwide organization, said there has never been any proof that Tice, who has been missing since 2012, is dead.

He told reporters in Damascus on Tuesday that Tice was alive in January and being held by the authorities of ousted Bashar al-Assad. He added that US President Joe Biden said in August that Tice was alive.

Zakka said Tice was transferred between security agencies over the past 12 years, including in an area where Iranian-backed fighters were operating.

Asked if it was possible Tice had been taken out of the country, Zakka said Assad most likely kept him in Syria as a potential bargaining chip.

Biden said Dec. 8 that his administration believed Tice was alive and was committed to bringing him home, though he also acknowledged that “we have no direct evidence” of his status.