LONDON

The UK is “deeply concerned” over the civilian casualties in Israel’s military operation in the West Bank, a spokesperson for the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said on Thursday.

“We are aware of the major IDF operation in the occupied West Bank, and we are deeply concerned by reports of civilian casualties,” the official told Anadolu.

“This is clearly a developing situation, which we are monitoring closely,” the spokesperson said, stressing: “We continue to urge for restraint, to work towards de-escalation and to adhere to international law.”

On Wednesday, the Israeli army launched a major military operation in the northern West Bank, the largest in two decades.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the operation includes the “temporary evacuation of Palestinian residents" from areas in the northern West Bank.

At least 17 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the operation on Wednesday, which is considered the largest operation in the occupied West Bank since 2002, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.

Tension has been running high across the occupied West Bank amid a brutal Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 40,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7 last year.

At least 660 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 5,400 others injured in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian figures.

In a landmark opinion on July 19, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land unlawful and demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

*Writing by Merve Berker