Israeli Defense Minister orders escalation of West Bank raids
By Nathan Morley
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has ordered an escalation of military raids in refugee camps across the occupied West Bank.
This follows a series of bus explosions in Tel Aviv, which caused no injuries.
No group has claimed responsibility for the explosions.
Katz stated the intensified raids will focus on the Tulkarm refugee camp and others in the West Bank.
Israel's Kan TV reports that the Shin Bet domestic security agency is investigating whether the perpetrators came from Tulkarm.
A sticker found on one of the explosive devices suggested the attack was "revenge" for recent Israeli raids that caused widespread destruction.
In the attack, three empty buses exploded within minutes, and explosive devices were found on two other buses, prompting a temporary nationwide suspension of public transportation for security scans.
Hostages
In a related development, Israel announced that forensic analysis confirmed a body received from Hamas was not that of hostage Shiri Bibas.
The remains of Bibas, along with her two children, were supposedly handed earlier this week.
The Israeli military stated the identification process revealed the body was not of any known hostage, accusing Hamas of breaching the ceasefire agreement.
The remains of Bibas' sons, Ariel, aged four, and Kfir, ten months, were identified. They were kidnapped from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz.
Additionally, the body of another hostage, Oded Lifshitz, a retired journalist and peace activist, was identified earlier today.
Thank you for reading our article. You can keep up-to-date by subscribing to our daily newsletter. Just click here
