Israel kills member of Palestinian security forces who was a ‘militant’

Jerusalem, Jan 5: Israeli forces killed a member of the Palestinian security services in the occupied West Bank whom they accused of being a militant. Tearful Palestinians on Sunday meanwhile laid to rest six people killed in Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip the day before, including a teenager.
In a separate development, Israel warned that a ceasefire in Lebanon could break down if Hezbollah militants do not withdraw from the border and Lebanese troops fail to police the buffer zone.
Israel’s paramilitary Border Police said they carried out an operation in the West Bank village of Meithaloun to arrest Hassan Rabaiya, describing him as a wanted militant. They said he was killed in a shootout while trying to escape, and that the troops found a shotgun, weapons parts and around USD 26,000 in cash inside his home.
Meithaloun is near the northern West Bank city of Jenin, an epicentre of Israeli-Palestinian violence in recent years.
The Palestinian security services identified Rabaiya as a first lieutenant in its Preventive Security force, saying he was killed while “performing his national duty”.
The Palestinian Authority has been waging a rare crackdown on militants in Jenin in recent weeks, angering many Palestinians.
Last week, the Palestinian Authority ordered the Al Jazeera news network to suspend its operations in the West Bank. Israel has also banned the Qatar-based broadcaster, accusing it of being a mouthpiece for Hamas militants.
Al Jazeera denies the allegations and accuses both Israel and the Palestinian Authority of trying to silence critical coverage.
The internationally recognised Palestinian Authority exercises limited autonomy in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank and cooperates with Israel on security matters. But Israel has long accused it of inciting violence and turning a blind eye to militants, while Palestinian critics view it as a corrupt and ineffective body that aids the occupation.
The West Bank has seen a surge of violence since Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack out of Gaza ignited the war there. Israel captured both Gaza and the West Bank, as well as east Jerusalem, in the 1967 Mideast war, and the Palestinians want all three territories for their future state.
Ceasefire with Lebanon
Israel warns that ceasefire in Lebanon is at risk Israel’s defence minister warned on Sunday that the truce that ended more than a year of fighting with Lebanon’s Hezbollah is at risk.
Israel Katz said the agreement requires Hezbollah to withdraw to the north of the Litani River and Lebanese troops to eliminate any militant infrastructure in the buffer zone – “something that hasn’t happened yet”.
“If this condition is not met, there will be no agreement, and Israel will be forced to act on its own to ensure the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes,” he said.
Both sides have accused the other of violating the ceasefire agreement.
The deal struck on November 27 to halt nearly 14 months of fighting linked to the war in Gaza required Hezbollah to immediately lay down its arms in southern Lebanon.
It gave Israel 60 days to withdraw its forces and hand over control to the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers.
So far, Israel has withdrawn from just two of the dozens of towns it holds in southern Lebanon. And it has continued striking what it says are Hezbollah targets. (AP)