ALBAWABA- Echoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s past declaration of a “historic mission” to secure Greater Israel, Israeli Energy and Infrastructure Minister Eli Cohen asserted on Wednesday that imposing Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank is now a national priority.
“In response to our enemies and to those calling for a Palestinian state, our sovereignty on the land comes before the expansion of the Abraham Accords,” Cohen said. “Between the sea and the river, there will be one state, the state of the Jewish people. We are living through a historic period, and this is the time to impose sovereignty on the West Bank and dismantle the Palestinian Authority.”
The remarks came as violence escalated across the Palestinian territories. Hospital sources in Gaza reported 51 Palestinians killed since dawn by Israeli gunfire in several areas of the besieged enclave, including 12 civilians who were seeking aid.
At the Nasser Medical Complex, staff recovered 14 bodies from areas of Khan Younis struck in earlier bombardments.
Meanwhile, Israeli troops stormed the West Bank city of Nablus at around 3 a.m., residents said, with armored vehicles entering several neighborhoods of the Old City.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society confirmed at least seven people wounded, while witnesses reported soldiers expelling residents from homes and turning houses into military outposts.
The raid followed a rare incursion into Ramallah a day earlier, where dozens were injured. Nablus Governor Ghassan Daghlas condemned Wednesday’s assault as “a show of force with no justification.”
On the military front, Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said operations would intensify in Gaza City, reaffirming Israel’s commitment to “defeating Hamas and returning the abductees.”
International alarm continues to mount. The Deputy Coordinator of the Middle East Peace Process warned that the territory earmarked for a future Palestinian state is rapidly shrinking, with settlement expansion and demolitions “undermining any hope for peace.”
He described the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as facing an “unprecedented crisis,” and urged an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages.
The UN official further cautioned that Israel’s new restrictions on international organizations were obstructing aid, noting that more than 86% of the Gaza Strip is now designated as Israeli military zones.
