Israel kills a top militant in its deadliest West Bank raids since the Gaza war began WSOC TV [Video]

TULKAREM, West Bank — (AP) — The Israeli military said it killed five more West Bank militants, including a local commander, as it pressed ahead Thursday with its deadliest operation in the occupied territory since the start of the war in Gaza.

Israel says the raids across the northern West Bank — which have killed a total of 16 people, nearly all militants, since late Tuesday — are aimed at preventing attacks. The Palestinians see them as a widening of the war in Gaza and an effort to perpetuate Israel’s decades-long military rule over the territory.

The raids drew alarm from the United Nations and neighboring Jordan, as well as from British and French leaders, who stressed the urgency of cease-fire in Gaza after nearly 11 months of fighting between Israel and Hamas.

Medics at al-Awda Hospital in central Gaza said Thursday eight Palestinians were killed and 20 wounded from Israeli strikes on the crowded …