Summary
The head of the UN, Antonio Guterres, urges Israel to stop its operation in the West Bank, saying it is "fuelling an already explosive situation"
Israel began what it called a "counter-terrorism operation" in four areas of the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, with at least nine people killed
The raids are believed to be the first time since the second intifada - a major Palestinian uprising from 2000 to 2005 - that several Palestinian cities have been targeted simultaneously
On the second day of raids, Israel's military says it killed five "terrorists" who had hidden in a mosque
Live Reporting
Edited by Emily Atkinson and Francesca Gillett, with Lucy Williamson reporting from Jenin in the occupied West Bank
Military activity slows but tensions remain highpublished at 13:27 British Summer Time 29 August
13:27 BST 29 August
Adam Durbin
Live reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesWhile the operation in Jenin, Tulkarm and other cities in the occupied West Bank has not ended, the intensity of Israel's military activity appears to have slowed.
So far, at least 17 Palestinians have been killed in the fighting since raids began yesterday, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa - with Israel claiming more than a dozen "terrorists" have been killed so far.
Palestinian groups are mourning the death of one particularly prominent fighter, killed in Tulkarm after a gun battle with Israeli forces overnight.
Tensions over the situation have been rising, both inside the West Bank itself and internationally.
The US government has expressed concern about the safety of civilians, while the EU's top diplomat is exploring imposing sanctions on some Israeli ministers he accuses of making "genocidal" statements.
But growing concern and pressure from Israel's allies does not seem to have put a stop to their plans.
We're ending our live coverage now. If you'd like to keep across any fresh developments in the West Bank, our main story will be kept up to date here.
Our colleagues Yolande Knell and Toby Luckhurst in Israel have also written this BBC inDepth long-read, which looks at Israel's seizing of Palestinian land for expanding settlements in the West Bank.
What's the latest?published at 13:25 British Summer Time 29 August
13:25 BST 29 August
We'll soon be ending our live coverage of Israel's military operations in the West Bank, that began yesterday.
Here's the latest from today:
- The Israel Defense Forces says its troops killed five Palestinian "terrorists" who were hiding in a mosque in the city of Tulkarm in a second day of raids in the West Bank
- Palestinian official news agency Wafa says the total number of people killed since raids began yesterday has risen to 17
- One of those killed in Tulkarm was Muhammed Jabber, a high-profile figure had been accused of "terrorism" by Israelis
- Meanwhile, the US has urged Israel to take "all feasible measures" to protect civilian lives in the West Bank
- And the EU is starting the process of asking member states if they want to begin imposing sanctions on "some Israeli ministers", after claims some have been issuing hate messages against Palestinians
BBC Verify analyses West Bank footage circulating on social mediapublished at 13:23 British Summer Time 29 August
13:23 BST 29 August
By Emma Pengelly and James Kelly
BBC Verify has been monitoring social media for footage of the Israeli operation in the occupied West Bank.
We’ve seen multiple videos and photos circulating online which show Israeli diggers and forces operating on roads across the territory.
In one video geolocated to Jenin which was posted today, a bulldozer can be seen ripping up streets along one of the roads.
Elsewhere, we’ve also verified footage of Israeli troops running into a mosque in Jenin. It’s not clear what they do after they enter.
On Wednesday, dozens of videos began circulating which showed Israeli forces operating inside the city of Jenin. Israeli vehicles, including a bulldozer, could be seen heading into the city overnight in video verified by the team. Another video showed military vehicles nearby Jenin government hospital.
What is the West Bank and who controls it?published at 13:05 British Summer Time 29 August
13:05 BST 29 August
Raffi Berg
Digital Middle East editorThebiggest military action for years by Israel in the occupied West Bank hasbrought the territory into renewed focus.
TheWest Bank – so-called because it extends from the west bank of the River Jordan– is a chunk of land partially surrounded by Israel.
Itis home to an estimated three million Palestinians and is known byinternational bodies as part of the Occupied Palestinian Territories, whichalso include East Jerusalem and Gaza.
TheWest Bank has been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Middle East war.
Israel has overall control of the West Bank, but since the90s a Palestinian government known as the Palestinian Authority (PA) has run mostof its town and cities. Gaza on the other hand has been run by Hamas – a group whichis not part of the PA.
Israel has built more than 130 settlements housing about half a million Jews in West Bank. These settlements are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.
The Palestinians have always opposed Israel’s presence in the West Bank (as well as occupied East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip), and conflict and tension there between them has continued over the past five decades.
Palestinians want the land to be part of a future independent state, something backed by the vast majority of the international community.
But Israel says it will not currently consider this, and that it must always keep hold of some of the West Bank for its security needs.
West Bank health ministry says three killed in Tulkarmpublished at 12:56 British Summer Time 29 August
12:56 BST 29 August
The Palestinian health ministry in the West Bank has just issued an update, saying three men have been killed by Israeli forces in the city of Tulkarm this morning.
It is not clear if these three are among the 17 reported by Palestinian media as having been killed in the occupied West Bank since yesterday.
In its update on Telegram, the ministry says it was informed of their deaths by colleagues in the Palestinian civil affairs authority.
A fourth man was injured at the same time, but the extent of his injuries is not yet clear, the ministry adds.
How Israel has increased air strikes in the West Bankpublished at 12:49 British Summer Time 29 August
12:49 BST 29 August
Shaina Oppenheimer
BBC MonitoringThe Israeli army has significantly increased itsuse of air strikes in the West Bank in recent months.
It appears to show a marked shift in theIsraeli leadership's assessment of the situation in the West Bank. Since June 2023,Israel has carried out 50 air strikes in the West Bank - something it had notdone since 2006. All but two of these were carried out after Hamas’s attack onIsrael on 7 October 2023.
The Israeli air strikes have been mostly concentrated in Jenin and its nearby refugee camp, a stronghold of Palestinian militants that has emerged as a symbol of resistance against Israeli army raids.
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said in July that they would prevent exposing soldiers to "unnecessary" danger, and that the army would expand such tactics if needed "with the aim of eliminating the armed groups in the refugee camps".
Jenin taxi drivers say Israeli forces shooting at carspublished at 12:42 British Summer Time 29 August
12:42 BST 29 August
Jon Donnison
Reporting from JeninImage source, EPADriving into Jenin this morning, all roads but one were blocked by Israeli forces.
On the approach, local taxi drivers told that Israeli soldiers had been shooting at Palestinian cars.
We passed a number of ambulances heading in the opposite direction. Many streets are marked with Israeli tank tracks.
In the city centre, which is normally bustling and packed with shoppers and traffic, the streets are deserted with nearly all businesses shut.
People are holed up in their houses waiting for Israel’s military operation to end. Palestinian mobile phone networks are down.
At least one Palestinian is reported to have been killed here today.
High-profile Palestinian fighter Abu Shujaa killed by Israeli forcespublished at 12:10 British Summer Time 29 August
12:10 BST 29 August
One of the Palestinian fighters killed in Tulkarm, Muhammed Jabber, was a high-profile figure in the West Bank and Israel - who had been accused of "terrorism" by Israelis.
Known by his nom de guerre Abu Shujaa, he was born in the Nur Shams refugee camp and the commander of the local Tulkarm Brigade, which is affiliated with the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group.
Jabber has given many media interviews in recent months, speaking about the more than four years he spent in prison and previous attempts to kill him by Israeli forces.
In April, Jabber was declared dead by the Israeli military - only to appear again in public at the funeral of another fighter two days later.
There is no dispute over his death at this time.
For Israelis, Jabber's death - which the Israeli security services say happened after he and four other fighters hid inside a mosque - has been hailed as a victory and cause for celebration.
Announcing his killing, they accused Jabber of planning and being involved in "numerous terror attacks" - including the shooting of civilian Amnon Muchtar in June.
But Palestinian groups hailed him a figurehead for the "resistance" and a "martyr", promising retaliation.
Palestinian news agency says death toll in West Bank rises to 17published at 11:54 British Summer Time 29 August
11:54 BST 29 AugustBreaking
Image source, Getty ImagesMore now from the West Bank, where the official Palestinian news agency Wafa says the number of people killed since Israel's military operation began yesterday has risen to 17.
According to Wafa, the latest death toll includes:
- Eight people killed in Jenin
- Four in Tubas
- Five in Tulkarm - this includes four men in the Tulkarm refugee camp, and a 62-year-old man hit by sniper fire in his home in the Nur Shams refugee camp near the city
The BBC is unable to verify the figures.
Earlier the Israeli military said that troops had killed five "terrorists hiding in a mosque" in Tulkarm, including one known as the leader of a local armed group, the Tulkarm Brigade.
And separately, the Islamic Jihad group says one of its top commanders has been killed by Israeli forces in Tulkarm.
Damaged homes and buildings after Israeli raid in Tulkarmpublished at 11:24 British Summer Time 29 August
11:24 BST 29 August
Here are the latest pictures from the city of Tulkarm, in the occupied West Bank, where the Israeli military said this morning it had killed five "terrorists" who had hidden inside a mosque:
Image source, ReutersImage source, ReutersImage source, ReutersHow the West Bank violence escalatedpublished at 11:08 British Summer Time 29 August
11:08 BST 29 August
On 7 October, Hamas crossed from Gaza into Israel and killed around 1,200 people - 250 others were taken hostage.
Israel retaliated with a bombing campaign and ground invasion into Gaza, where Hamas is based, resulting in more than 40,000 Palestinians being killed.
Tensions in the West Bank - which has been under Israeli occupation since the 1967 Middle East war - were already simmering before the Gaza war began, particularly in Jenin where a new generation of armed groups was emerging.
Last Wednesday, the UN said 607 Palestinians had been killed in the West Bank since 7 October. Fifteen Israelis were killed by Palestinians in the territory during the same period.
A spokesman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas - in charge of a chunk of the West Bank - has warned that the escalating Israeli raids will "lead to dire and dangerous results".
Israeli forces still operating in Jeninpublished at 10:51 British Summer Time 29 August
10:51 BST 29 August
Lucy Williamson
Middle East correspondent, reporting from JeninOutside Jenin’s government hospital, ambulances come and go, past army jeeps parked around the entrance.
Just beyond it, one of the mosques inside Jenin camp is calling prayers.
News out of the camp is very thin. Israeli forces are still operating there, and blocking access.
From the roads around, medics, residents and journalists have been trying to read the situation there from occasional explosions and bursts of gunfire.
EU aid chief says Israel's West Bank operation in violation of international lawpublished at 10:20 British Summer Time 29 August
10:20 BST 29 August
Image source, Getty ImagesThe situation in the occupied West Bank is "deteriorating further" and is "in violation of international law and human rights", the EU's commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis management says.
Posting on X, Janez Lenarcic says Israel's "indiscriminate use of military force and settler violence against civilians and extensive destruction of homes and infrastructure" is "in violation of international law and human rights".
His comments come after the Israel Defence Forces said it had killed five Palestinian "terrorists" in the second day of raids.
Israel says its forces are targeting "terror groups and terror cells" in the West Bank.
What's the latest?published at 10:05 British Summer Time 29 August
10:05 BST 29 August
Image source, Reuters- The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says its troops have killed five Palestinian "terrorists" in a second day of raids in the occupied West Bank
- In a statement, it says those killed were "hidden inside a mosque" in Tulkarm, near the boundary with Israel
- It comes after at least nine were killed in Israeli raids in several cities in the West Bank on Wednesday
- UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called on Israel to immediately end its operation, saying it was "fuelling an already explosive situation"
- Meanwhile, the US urged Israeli forces to take "all feasible measures" to protect civilian lives in the West Bank
- EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Israel's operation in the West Bank "must not constitute the premises of a war extension from Gaza"
Stay with us for further updates and analysis.
Hamas-run health ministry says more than 40,600 killed in Gazapublished at 09:48 British Summer Time 29 August
09:48 BST 29 August
Image source, ReutersAway from the West Bank, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says 68 people have been killed by Israeli attacks in the last day.
This takes the number of people killed in the territory since 7 October to 40,602, it adds in an update.
The ministry says that nearly 94,000 people have been injured at this time, adding that many victims are "under the rubble and on the roads" where they cannot be reached by emergency workers.
Former Israeli minister says West Bank operation is 'self-defence'published at 09:33 British Summer Time 29 August
09:33 BST 29 August
Image source, Getty ImagesA former senior Israeli minister has defended the Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) actions in the West Bank as "self-defence activity".
Ayelet Shaked tells the BBC World Service's Newsday programme that "the IDF is doing activity to prevent another massacre" akin to the 7 October attacks in Israel last year.
"We have intelligence that Hamas is losing in Gaza and they are trying to encourage Hamas terrorists" in the West Bank to launch terrorist attacks in Israel, Shaked claims, without providing further detail.
"We are doing everything we can to protect ourselves," she says.
Shaked also denies allegations by Palestinian health officials in the West Bank that the Israeli military has obstructed medical workers during its military action, saying "Israel is letting ambulance drive in the West Bank freely."
Telecoms firm says phone and internet services down in Jeninpublished at 09:21 British Summer Time 29 August
09:21 BST 29 August
Phone and internet services are down in the West Bank city of Jenin, according to Palestinian telecommunications company Jawwal.
The firm, part of the larger Paltel group serving the West Bank and Gaza, says the connectivity failure was caused by Israeli "aggression" damaging its main and backup lines in the area.
"Our crews are working hard to restore services as quickly as possible," the company adds in a post on Facebook.
Borrell says EU considering sanctions for 'some Israeli ministers'published at 09:07 British Summer Time 29 August
09:07 BST 29 August
Image source, ReutersThe European Union is starting the process of asking member states if they want to begin imposing sanctions on "some Israeli ministers".
Speaking to reporters ahead of a meeting in Brussels, the EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, confirms that he has "initiated the procedure" to see if member states would consider it "appropriate" to sanction some Israeli ministers.
Those who have been "launching unacceptable hate messages against the Palestinians, and proposing things that clearly go against international law", are the individuals that Borrell says the EU is "considering" adding to their list of sanctions.
He does not name any of the Israeli ministers to whom he wasreferring.
Latest images from Tulkarm, where Israel says five 'terrorists' killedpublished at 08:51 British Summer Time 29 August
08:51 BST 29 August
We can now bring you the latest images from Tulkarm, a West Bank city close to where Israeli forces say they have killed “five armed terrorists" who were "hiding in a mosque".
Tulkarm is one of four areas in the occupied territory where Israel launched a "counter-terrorism operation" on Wednesday, which has been met with international alarm.
Image source, Getty ImagesImage source, Getty ImagesImage source, Getty ImagesImage source, Getty ImagesPalestinian health ministry says one killed in Jeninpublished at 08:35 British Summer Time 29 August
08:35 BST 29 August
The Palestinian health ministry in the West Bank says one person has been killed by Israeli troops in Jenin.
Their body has been taken to a local hospital, it adds in an update on Telegram.
