Israel to form ‘rapid response forces’ in West Bank settlements

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced plans on Tuesday to establish "rapid response forces" in settlements near the border with the occupied West Bank.

He unveiled the plans as he inspected Israeli military forces along the contact line between the West Bank and Israel, accompanied by the chair of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Yuli Edelstein.

"I ordered the establishment of intervention forces that would be based on the residents of the settlements and graduates of the combat units - another step that would strengthen the security elements," Gallant said on X.

Edelstein warned of the "danger of repeating" the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, the Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported.

He said the contact line is only "a few kilometers away from the central cities of the country (Israel)."

Tensions have been running high across the West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip after an attack by the Hamas group on Oct. 7, 2023.

At least 527 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 5,000 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.

Israel stands accused of "genocide" at the International Court of Justice, which in its latest ruling has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.