The Palestinian Health Ministry on October 31 accused Israeli military fire of killing two Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
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| Palestinians search for survivors after an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, October 22. (Source: AP) |
Nine Palestinians were injured, two of them seriously, in the Israeli raid in Tubas, the agency said.
Earlier in the day, the Israeli military demolished the West Bank home of Saleh al-Aruri, Hamas’s number two, who lives in exile. The Israeli military said its forces entered the village of Arura, near Ramallah, and fired at people who were “throwing” stones at them during the demolition.
The West Bank is the scene of frequent Israeli military raids and Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians, as well as Palestinian attacks against Jews.
European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell on October 31 once again called for a halt to the Hamas-Israel conflict and condemned attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
After a series of phone calls with senior Arab officials, the EU Representative's office said he had "expressed his deep concern at the attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians, which he strongly condemned".
The EU has called for the protection of civilians on both sides of the conflict, demanding the unconditional release of hostages by Hamas and a “humanitarian ceasefire” to allow aid into the Gaza Strip.
However, after phone calls with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt as well as Organization of Islamic Cooperation Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha, Mr Borrell extended his concerns to related events in the West Bank.
At least 122 Palestinians have been killed in attacks by Israeli forces or Jewish settlers in the West Bank since October 7, when the conflict between Hamas and Israel erupted, according to the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority (PA) Health Ministry.
In another development, the US State Department announced on October 31 that Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Israel on November 3 to meet with members of the host government and then stop in several other countries in the region as the conflict between Hamas and Israel continues.
In early October, Secretary of State Blinken traveled to Israel, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt.
Also on October 31, Secretary of State Blinken met with new US House Speaker Mike Johnson. During the meeting, the two sides discussed funding plans for Ukraine and Israel.
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