After the United Nations Security Council passed the Gaza peace resolution proposed by the United States on the 17th, a stabbing and ramming attack occurred in the West Bank on the 18th, leaving at least 1 dead and 3 injured, further heightening local tensions. Israel urged the international community to cooperate in pushing the Palestinian armed group Hamas to withdraw from Gaza.
The incident took place in Gush Etzion, a West Bank area with Jewish settlements. According to the Israeli military, two Palestinian men arrived at an intersection by car, with the driver first ramming the vehicle into a crowd, followed by the other man exiting the car and stabbing passersby. Israeli forces shot the two attackers dead on the spot and found explosives in the implicated vehicle. Authorities are currently investigating the motive for the attack; the victim was a 71-year-old Israeli man who lived in a settlement. Jewish settlements have long been considered a major obstacle to Israel-Palestine peace talks.
● Israeli Airstrikes on Palestinian Refugee Camp in Lebanon
Meanwhile, on the evening of the 18th, Israel launched an airstrike on a Palestinian refugee camp near the coastal city of Sidon in southwestern Lebanon, resulting in at least 13 deaths. The Israel Defense Forces stated that the target of the airstrike was a training facility belonging to the Palestinian Islamic militant group Hamas. Hamas condemned the Israeli airstrike.
An Israeli drone fired three missiles, striking a mosque and a nearby car in the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp, causing a large fire at the scene. According to Lebanon’s Ministry of Health, the airstrike killed at least 13 people and injured many others. Multiple rescue teams are still searching for survivors in the rubble.
The Israel Defense Forces issued a statement confirming the airstrike on the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp, claiming that Hamas militants were using a military complex within the Palestinian refugee camp for training and exercises, with the intention of planning and launching attacks against Israel. The statement said the IDF is targeting Hamas positions in Lebanon and will continue to strike Hamas militants operating elsewhere.
Hamas, in a statement, denied that the group has any military facilities in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, calling Israel’s claim that the targeted site was a Hamas training facility pure fabrication and lies.