RAMALLAH, Palestine

At least 70 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in the occupied West Bank since the start of this year, the Health Ministry said on Monday.

The victims included 10 children, one woman and two elderly people, the ministry added in a statement.

The ministry explained that 38 people were killed in Jenin, 15 in Tubas, six in Nablus, five in Tulkarem, three in Hebron, two in Bethlehem and one in East Jerusalem.

On Jan. 21, the Israeli army launched an assault on Jenin city and its refugee camp, killing at least 26 Palestinians. The offensive was later expanded to the city of Tulkarem, where at least three Palestinians were killed.

The Israeli escalation in the West Bank came after a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal took hold in Gaza on Jan. 19, following 15 months of Israel’s genocidal war that killed over 47,500 Palestinians and reduced the enclave to rubble.

Since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023, more than 900 Palestinians have been killed across the West Bank in attacks by Israeli forces and settlers.