Israel claims death of Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander in central Gaza

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Saturday that it has killed Muhammad Katrouy, the commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad's (PIJ) Central Camps Brigade, in an air strike in central Gaza.

The IDF said in a statement that Katrouy was killed on Thursday in a joint operation with the Shin Bet, Israel's internal security service.

The IDF claims Katrouy had coordinated rocket attacks from central Gaza toward Israel and planned various attacks against Israeli forces. He held several posts within the PIJ, including deputy brigade commander and intelligence officer, the statement added.

The PIJ has yet to comment on Israel's statement.

Israel has conducted a large-scale raid across the northern West Bank in the past week, stating that the operation aims to prevent future attacks against Israel.

The Israeli army on Saturday killed two Palestinians in Jenin in the northern West Bank as Israel's military operation in the city entered its fourth day, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported.

The ministry identified the victims as Amjad Mustafa Ibrahim Saleh and Muhammad Amin Talal Abdullah but did not provide further details.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported that Israeli forces obstructed its staff from transporting the bodies after they reached the Jenin refugee camp. The society also noted that its teams are evacuating emergency cases from the Jenin Government Hospital to Al-Razi Hospital due to a power outage.

The Palestinian government has warned of possible shutdowns in some hospital departments in Jenin and expressed concern for dialysis patients. It also stated that it is pursuing legal action to hold Israel accountable for its "crimes" and is working to repair the damage inflicted by the Israeli army.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa has called on international health organizations and the Red Cross to call for the lifting of the hospital blockade and to address disruptions to ambulances and medical teams.

A 65-year-old Palestinian prisoner from Gaza has died in a prison in central Israel, according to a joint statement released by the Ministry of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners Club on Saturday.

Nasr Ziyada, a father of seven children, passed away at Ramla Prison on August 16, the statement said.

Ziyada was arrested on December 29, 2023, along with his son Jihad, who is currently being held at Negev Prison in southern Israel.

The statement said Ziyada and his son experienced prolonged "maltreatment" during field interrogations at their home in the Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City before their arrest.

Ziyada's death raises the number of prisoners who have died in Israeli prisons since October 7, 2023, to 24, according to the statement.

The statement placed full responsibility for Ziyada's death on Israeli authorities and called on the international human rights community to hold Israel accountable for its "crimes" against Palestinian detainees.

A large-scale vaccination campaign to fight a polio outbreak in the Gaza Strip is set to begin on September 1, the World Health Organization (WHO) representative for the occupied Palestinian territories announced on Friday.

Richard Peeperkorn told media at a press briefing that the two-round polio vaccination campaign will see the administration of two drops of novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) to more than 640,000 children under the age of 10 across the enclave. The campaign is to kick off this coming weekend.

A total of 1.26 million doses of the nOPV2 vaccine have been delivered to Gaza to facilitate the campaign, with an additional 400,000 doses expected to arrive shortly.

Peeperkorn emphasized that achieving at least 90 percent vaccination coverage during each round of the campaign is crucial to halting the polio outbreak in Gaza and preventing its spread beyond the region. The campaign will be carried out in stages, spanning three days for each of the three areas of Gaza.

Over 2,180 workers are involved in the campaign, with 392 fixed vaccination points and nearly 300 mobile teams, Peeperkorn said.

(With input from Xinhua)