From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, August 28, 2024
Terror groups accuse Israel of trying to bring Gaza war to West Bank
The Hamas terror group is calling on security forces loyal to the Western-backed Palestinian Authority in the West Bank to rise up against Israel and “join the sacred battle of our people,” praising Palestinians confronting Israeli forces conducting a major anti-terror raid in the northern West Bank
The group says in a statement that the operation is part of a larger plan to expand the war in Gaza.
A statement from the armed wing of Fatah, the Palestinian faction headed by PA President Mahmoud Abbas, says it is taking part in the fighting, including detonating bombs against troops.
The Islamic Jihad terror group, which like Hamas is thought to have bolstered a foothold in the northern West Bank in recent years, also puts out a statement denouncing an “open war” by Israel.
“With this aggression, which aims to transfer the weight of the conflict to the occupied West Bank, the occupier wants to impose a new state of affairs on the ground to annex the West Bank,” the statement says.
