Israeli army re-arrests freed Palestinians in West Bank, continues bombing Gaza

The Israeli army carried out a series of raids across the occupied West Bank overnight and early on Thursday morning, storming dozens of homes and arresting several Palestinians.

Beginning at dawn, troops were deployed across multiple towns surrounding Ramallah, including Beit Rima, Ras Karkar and Turmus Ayya.

Raids were reported in villages near Bethlehem, Tubas, and Hebron, according to Palestinian media reports, and the army was seen operating in the Eastern and German neighbourhoods of the city of Jenin.

Videos filmed by residents on Thursday morning showed a raid by Israeli forces in the city of Nablus, with soldiers seen closing roads and storming the area surrounding the National Hospital.

The Palestinian Prisoners Club said soldiers re-arrested two released prisoners after raiding their family homes in Tayasir, east of Tubas, and Sinjil, north of Ramallah, overnight.

At least two other young men were also arrested in the raids.

Attacks on Gaza continue

Meanwhile, Gaza experienced yet another night of heavy bombardment and demolitions by Israeli forces.

Israeli military vehicles were reported to have targeted eastern areas of the al-Bureij refugee camp.

Airstrikes were also reported by residents in northern areas of the besieged Gaza Strip.

Palestinian media said that Israeli forces opened fire on the Shujaiya neighbourhood, east of Gaza City.

The attacks come as Gaza mourns three journalists killed by Israel in an airstrike in al-Zahra area southwest of Gaza City on Wednesday.

The media workers had been collaborating with the Egyptian Relief Committee to document the conditions of displaced Palestinians in central Gaza.

Speaking to The New Arab’s sister publication, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, an Egyptian source said Cairo delivered a strongly worded protest to Tel Aviv, asserting that there was "no operation or field justification for bombing a vehicle that was clearly displaying the Egyptian committee’s logo and the Egyptian flag".

Egyptian authorities likewise requested Israel provide them with the results of the investigation. The Israeli military frequently refuses the release of its internal investigations into army abuses, often citing "national security" reasons.

Abd Raouf Shaat, one of the journalists killed, was a regular contributor with AFP, which subsequently issued a statement calling for a "full and transparent investigation" into his death.

Separate Israeli attacks killed eight others on Wednesday, medical sources said.

Since the ceasefire that began on October 10, Israeli forces have killed at least 481 people in Gaza, including 168 children and 65 women. More than 1,200 others have been injured.