Israeli forces kill Hamas leader in Tulkarem

Shafaq News/ The al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, mourned the death of its commander, Hossam Bassam Youssef Malla, who was shot by Israeli forces in Tulkarem’s refugee camp late Wednesday.

The Israeli Security Agency, Shin Bet, claimed responsibility for the killing, identifying Malla as “a senior Hamas figure” allegedly planning attacks against Israel.

The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed Malla's death, stating he was fatally shot by an undercover Israeli unit.

WAFA news agency quoted Faisal Salama, head of the Tulkarem Refugee Camp’s popular services committee, reporting that “the Israeli forces executed Malla at close range while he was in a nearby supermarket, shooting him multiple times.” Salama added that the Israeli special forces arrived disguised in a taxi and a truck loaded with sheep, quickly retreating following the operation.

Malla, 30, was the brother of former prisoner and deportee Mohammed Malla. His killing comes just days after another Hamas commander, Islam Jameel Ouda, was killed by Israeli forces in Tulkarem.

Renewed clashes erupted in the Nur Shams refugee camp near Tulkarem on Wednesday night, with explosions reported as Israeli forces and Palestinian militants engaged in fierce confrontations. The Israeli military stated its troops have been operating throughout the night in the camp to dismantle what they described as “military infrastructure,” targeting a group of armed individuals with a drone strike after alleging they fired upon Israeli forces.

Two Palestinians were killed in the airstrike, identified by WAFA as 12-year-old Ahmad Issam Fahmawi and young man Abdulaziz Abu Samna. In response to the Israeli operations, the Tulkarem Brigade of the Al-Quds Brigades claimed its fighters detonated an explosive device against an Israeli military bulldozer in the camp, reporting a direct hit on the vehicle.

Since the onset of the Gaza war, at least 764 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed by Israeli forces, with around 6,300 injured, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Additionally, a joint statement from the Palestinian Prisoner Club and the Palestinian Authority’s Detainees Affairs Commission reported that 11,500 Palestinians have been detained in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since October 7.