‘This is not the end’ West Bank defiant in face of Israeli operation

Israel said yesterday it had killed three militants including a senior Hamas official in a drone strike on a car outside Jenin on the third day of extensive military operations across the West Bank.

- Julian Borger, Sufian Taha

Officials said the campaign was designed to pre-empt planned attacks after a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv this month, the first for eight years. The operations have involved widespread destruction, mass detentions and targeted killings.

The target yesterday was a Hamas commander, Waseem Khazem, who was reportedly killed with two other alleged Hamas members when their car was hit in a drone strike. The Palestinian health ministry confirmed three people had been killed in Zababdeh, a town south of Jenin, but did not disclose their identities.

At least 19 Palestinians have been killed since the West Bank operation began early on Wednesday. Hamas has claimed 10 of the dead as its own fighters, including the militant leader Abu Shujaa, who was killed in a shootout at a mosque in Tulkarm.

While intended as a show of resolve, the West Bank campaign has also highlighted how stretched Israel's forces have become and how far they are from fulfilling the primary war aim of destroying Hamas politically and militarily.