Israel kills 11, wounds dozens in West Bank raid

Six rockets were fired early Thursday from the Gaza strip toward southern Israel, the Israeli military said. Hours earlier on Wednesday, Israeli forces had attempted to arrest three known terrorists in the city of Nablus in a rare daytime raid. The Islamic extremists opened fire on the Israeli troops, and a shootout ensued that resulted in the deaths of all three militants, along with several other Palestinians. Various Palestinian militant groups have claimed six of those killed as their members. The Palestinian Health Ministry said several of the wounded were in critical condition.

Why would a daytime raid be rare for Israeli forces? Israeli troops often conduct arrest raids at night to reduce the risk of civilian casualties. The Israeli military said on Wednesday it took advantage of a rare window of opportunity after identifying the location of the militants and received warnings that they posed an imminent threat.

Dig deeper: Read Robert Nicholson’s column in WORLD Opinions about how Palestinians are refusing to take the path to peace in the Middle East.