Israel-Hamas war latest: Israeli strikes kill 6 in occupied West Bank, Palestinian officials say

Palestinian health officials say Israeli strikes in the occupied West Bank killed six people, including the son of a prominent jailed militant.

Israel said all of those killed were militants who had been involved in attacks.

Israel has been carrying out large-scale raids in the territory over the past week that it says are aimed at dismantling militant groups and preventing attacks. The Palestinians fear a widening of the war in Gaza.

A strike overnight in the northern West Bank town of Tubas killed five people, including Mohammed Zubeidi, the Palestinian Health Ministry said Thursday, without saying whether they were civilians or combatants.

His father, Zakaria Zubeidi, was a well-known militant commander during the second Palestinian uprising in the early 2000s and took part in a rare jail break in 2021 before being arrested and returned to prison days later.

The military said the younger Zubeidi had taken part in attacks against Israeli forces in the West Bank and that he was with a militant cell when he was targeted.

It said another fighter was killed in an airstrike in the built-up Al-Faraa refugee camp after hurling a firebomb at Israeli forces. The military released a video that it said showed the exchange. It said forces also uncovered roadside bombs in the camp, which dates back to the 1948 Mideast war surrounding Israel’s creation.

Here's the latest:

TEL AVIV — Hundreds of people marched silently through the streets of Tel Aviv carrying 27 mock coffins to represent the 27 hostages who were captured alive on Oct. 7 and whose bodies were recovered by the Israeli military during the past nearly 11 months of fighting in Gaza.

The protesters marched through major streets in Tel Aviv on Thursday night, solemnly striking a bell as the flag-draped coffins were slowly brought through the streets. The country is reeling from the discovery of the bodies of six Israeli hostages, who Israel says were killed by Hamas just before they were discovered by Israeli troops.

“Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister, sentenced Carmel, my cousin, to death, her and all the hostages,” said Gil Dickmann, the cousin of Carmel Gat, one of six hostages killed and whose body was recovered. “She was abandoned to her death by the government could have brought her back, 327 days she was there, in Gaza, in captivity, there were 327 opportunities to bring her back and every single one was missed."

In angry public statements, hostage families have accused Netanyahu of blocking a deal and potentially sacrificing their loved ones’ lives for the sake of holding the border strip.

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets in recent days, calling for a deal and saying time is running out to bring home the hostages alive.

BEIRUT — Senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday of deliberately stalling cease-fire negotiations, and urged the U.S. and the international community to put more pressure on Israel.

In a recorded speech released on Hamas’ official accounts, al-Hayya — who has been heading the militant group’s delegation to the cease-fire talks — reiterated the group’s stance that it will not consider any proposed deal that does not entail a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, and particularly from the Philadelphi corridor, a key area along Gaza’s border with Egypt.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has in recent weeks insisted that Israel will maintain forces in the corridor, saying it is necessary to halt weapons smuggling. The condition was not included in previous versions of the cease-fire proposal before the current round of talks.

Egypt, which along with the U.S. and Qatar is mediating the talks, has also been strongly opposed to Israel maintaining a military presence on the border.

Al-Hayya said Hamas “will not allow any agreement that legitimizes an Israeli presence on any part of Gaza or fails to secure our people’s rights.”

“We reject going back to square one or getting caught in a vicious cycle that serves Netanyahu’s goals,” he said.

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Palestinian health officials say an Israeli strike on a tent camp killed four men and wounded two children.

The strike early Thursday hit an encampment near the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central city of Deir al-Balah. Hospital officials confirmed the toll and an Associated Press reporter saw the bodies.

The Israeli military said it carried out a precise strike on a command and control center operated by Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad militant group that was embedded in a humanitarian zone.

The nearly 11-month-long war has displaced about 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million people, often multiple times. Israel has ordered mass evacuations into so-called humanitarian zones but occasionally carries out strikes there as well.

A woman who identified herself as Umm Mohammed Wadi said she was staying in a tent close to where the strike occurred.

“What did they do to be struck while sleeping?” she said. “No hospital is safe, nor any school or home.”

Israel says it only targets militants and tries to avoid harming civilians.

The Gaza Health Ministry says at least 40,861 Palestinians have been killed and more than 94,000 wounded since the start of the war. It does not differentiate between civilians and fighters in its toll.

The war began after Hamas launched a wide-scale attack into Israel on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250 people. Around 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, about a third of whom are believed to be dead, after most of the rest were released during a cease-fire in November.

Palestinian refugees walk through the rubble of destroyed houses while they flee their homes during the Israeli army operation in the West Bank refugee camp of Tulkarem, in Tulkarem, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

A Palestinian refugee sits by his partly destroyed house that was damaged during the Israeli army operation in the West Bank refugee camp of Tulkarem, in Tulkarem, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Palestinian refugees sit inside their partly destroyed house that was damaged during the Israeli army operation in the West Bank refugee camp of Tulkarem, in Tulkarem, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Palestinian refugees walk past the rubble of houses that were destroyed during the Israeli army operation in the West Bank refugee camp of Tulkarem, in Tulkarem, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Palestinian refugees walk through a damaged road while they flee their homes during the Israeli army operation in the West Bank refugee camp of Tulkarem, in Tulkarem, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Palestinian refugees walk through the rubble of destroyed houses while they flee their homes during the Israeli army operation in the West Bank refugee camp of Tulkarem, in Tulkarem, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Palestinian refugees sit at the rubble of their partly destroyed house that was damaged during the Israeli army operation in the West Bank refugee camp of Tulkarem, in Tulkarem, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

A Palestinian refugee walks through the rubble of a building that was destroyed during the Israeli army operation in the West Bank refugee camp of Tulkarem, in Tulkarem, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

A Palestinian refugee saves some belongings from his families house that was destroyed during the Israeli army operation in the West Bank refugee camp of Tulkarem, in Tulkarem, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Palestinian refugees sit in front of their shops that were damaged during the Israeli army operation in the West Bank refugee camp of Tulkarem, in Tulkarem, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Palestinians look at a damaged car following an Israeli airstrike in Tubas, West Bank, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. Palestinian health officials say Israeli strikes in the occupied West Bank killed five people. Israel has been carrying out large-scale raids in the territory over the past week that it says are aimed at dismantling militant groups and preventing attacks. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

Palestinians look at a damaged car following an Israeli airstrike in Tubas, West Bank, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. Palestinian health officials say Israeli strikes in the occupied West Bank killed five people. Israel has been carrying out large-scale raids in the territory over the past week that it says are aimed at dismantling militant groups and preventing attacks. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

Palestinians look at a damaged car following an Israeli airstrike in Tubas, West Bank, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. Palestinian health officials say Israeli strikes in the occupied West Bank killed five people. Israel has been carrying out large-scale raids in the territory over the past week that it says are aimed at dismantling militant groups and preventing attacks. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

A woman wears a blindfold during a protest calling for a cease-fire deal and the immediate release of hostages held in Gaza by Hamas in Tel Aviv, Israel on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

People attend a rally demanding a cease-fire deal and the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in Tel Aviv, Israel. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

A demonstrator with his hands tied calls for a cease-fire deal and the immediate release of hostages held in Gaza during a protest in Tel Aviv, Israel on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands before a map during a press conference at the Government Press office in Jerusalem, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (Abir Sultan/Pool via AP)

A demonstrator with her hands painted in yellow calls for a cease-fire deal and the immediate release of hostages held in Gaza by Hamas during a protest in Tel Aviv, Israel on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands before a map during a press conference at the Government Press office in Jerusalem, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (Abir Sultan/Pool via AP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a press conference at the Government Press office in Jerusalem, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (Abir Sultan/Pool via AP)

In this aerial image, people attend a rally demanding a cease-fire deal and the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip in Tel Aviv, Israel on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures in front of a map during a press conference at the Government Press office in Jerusalem, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (Abir Sultan/Pool via AP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Government Press office in Jerusalem, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (Abir Sultan/Pool via AP)

Gunshots were reported in Donald Trump's vicinity Sunday afternoon. The former president is safe.

U.S. Secret Service agents opened fire after seeing a person with a firearm near Trump’s West Palm Beach golf club in Florida while the Republican presidential candidate was golfing. No injuries were reported. Officials say the person fled in an SUV and was later apprehended by local law enforcement.

It was not immediately clear whether the reported shots were targeted at Trump. The U.S. Secret Service said it was investigating and that the incident occurred shortly before 2 p.m. “The former president is safe,” according to the Secret Service.

Roughly two months ago, Trump was shot during an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania, and a bullet grazed his ear.

Here is the Latest:

Trump campaign leaders are crediting the Secret Service with keeping the former president safe following an apparent assassination attempt in Florida.

In an email sent to staff Sunday evening, senior campaign advisers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles wrote, “Today, for the second time in two months, an evil monster attempted to take the life of President Trump.”

“Thankfully, no one was injured at the Golf Course. President Trump and everyone accompanying him are safe thanks to the great work of the United States Secret Service,” they wrote.

They added that campaign staffers’ safety is “always our top priority” and asked those receiving the email to “remain vigilant” and “observant and maintain a constant level of situational awareness."

The leaders of a bipartisan task force in Congress that has been investigating the assassination attempt on Trump at a Pennsylvania rally in July said it is monitoring the Florida situation and has requested a briefing by the Secret Service.

“We are thankful that the former President was not harmed, but remain deeply concerned about political violence and condemn it in all of its forms,” said Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa. and Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo. “The Task Force will share updates as we learn more.”

Fox News host Sean Hannity, a close Trump friend, said on air that he spoke with both Trump and the former president’s golf partner, Steve Witkoff, after the incident.

They told Hannity that they had been on the fifth hole and were about to go to up to putt when they heard a “pop pop, pop pop.” Within seconds, he said Witkoff recounted, Secret Service agents “pounced on” Trump and “covered him” to protect him.

In the aftermath, Trump checked in with allies, including his vice presidential nominee, JD Vance, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and several Fox News hosts.

It was not immediately clear whether the incident would affect Trump's campaign schedule.

On Monday night, he was set to speak from Florida about cryptocurrency live on the social media site X for the launch of his sons’ crypto platform. Trump planned a town hall Tuesday in Flint, Michigan, with his former press secretary, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, followed by a rally Wednesday on New York’s Long Island.

Trump had returned to Florida this weekend from a West Coast swing that included a Friday night rally in Las Vegas and a Utah fundraiser. His campaign had not advised about any public plans for Trump on Sunday. He often spends the morning playing golf, before having lunch at the club, one of three he owns in the state.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, said he and his wife, Gwen, are “glad” to hear Trump is safe. “Violence has no place in our country,” he said in a post on X. “It’s not who we are as a nation.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he has been briefed by the acting director of the Secret Service and applauded the agency “for their quick response to ensure former President Trump’s safety.” Schumer went on to condemn “political violence of any kind” and said the “perpetrator must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

“It’s abundantly clear there are violent people who are willing to do anything to keep President Trump from the White House,” Sen. Rick Scott of Florida said in a statement posted to X.

Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, chair of the House Republican Conference, questioned “how an assassin was allowed to get this close to President Trump again” in light of the attempt on his life at a Pennsylvania rally in July.

“There continues to be a lack of answers for the horrific assassination attempt in Pennsylvania and we expect there to be a clear explanation of what happened today in Florida,” Stefanik added.

The man who authorities say pointed a rifle with a scope into former President Donald Trump’s golf club and was arrested is Ryan Wesley Routh, three law enforcement officials told The Associated Press.

The officials identified the suspect to the AP but spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.

Secret Service agents shot at the suspect, who was taken into custody after fleeing the scene of what the FBI is calling an apparent attempted assassination of the Republican presidential nominee. Authorities are working to determine a motive.

—-By Associated Press reporters Colleen Long, Eric Tucker, Alanna Durkin Richer, Mike Balsamo and Michael R. Sisak

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said the entire golf course would have been lined with law enforcement if Trump was the sitting president. But because he’s not, “security is limited to the areas that the areas that the Secret Service deems possible.”

“But the Secret Service did exactly what they should have done, they provided exactly what the protection should have been and their agent did a fantastic job," Bradshaw said.

Former presidents and their spouses have Secret Service protection for life, but the security posture around former presidents varies depending on threat levels and exposure, with the toughest typically being in the immediate aftermath of their leaving office.

Trump’s protective detail has been higher than some of his peers because of his high visibility and his campaign to seek the White House again.

Trump’s running mate, Ohio U.S. Sen. JD Vance, posted on X that he spoke to the former president before the news became public and said “he was, amazingly, in good spirits.”

Vance said there was still a lot “we don’t know” about the incident.

Dave Aronberg, state attorney for Palm Beach County, indicated the suspect will initially be charged at the state level but could also be charged with federal crimes.

Aronberg said his prosecutors are working up warrant and pretrial detention applications.

“Our filing of the warrant and charges at the state level does not preclude the federal charges that could be coming,” Aronberg said. “But in the meantime, it looks like the warrants and a pretrial detention motion will happen first.”

A Secret Service agent walking on the golf course a hole ahead of where Trump was playing spotted the rifle sticking out of the fence and immediately opened fire, Palm Beach County Bradshaw said.

The agent fired four to six rounds, a Secret Service official said. The suspect then fled.

A witness who took a picture of the suspect’s vehicle and license plate number provided it to law enforcement officers.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said the gunman was about 400 to 500 yards away from Trump and hidden in shrubbery while the former president played golf on a nearby hole.

The man had an AK-style rifle with a scope, two backpacks hanging on a fence and a GoPro camera, the sheriff said. Bradshaw said the backpacks had ceramic tile in them and that the suspect’s belongings are being processed.

The FBI says it is investigating “what appears to be an attempted assassination” of Donald Trump.

Trump was returned safely after the incident to his private Mar-a-Lago club, where he resides in neighboring Palm Beach, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Trump had returned to Florida this weekend from a West Coast swing that included a Friday night rally in Las Vegas and a Utah fundraiser. His campaign had not advised Trump’s plans for Sunday. He often spends the morning playing golf, before having lunch at the club.

Martin County Sheriff William Snyder told WPTV that the suspect believed connected to the incident “was not armed when we took him out of the car.”

The man had a calm, flat demeanor and showed little emotion when he was stopped by police, Snyder said, saying the suspect did not question why he was being pulled over.

“He never asked, ‘what is this about?’ Obviously, law enforcement with long rifles, blue lights, a lot going on. He never questioned it,” Snyder said.

A man with an AK-style rifle pushed the firearm’s muzzle through the perimeter of Donald Trump’s West Palm Beach, Florida, golf course as the Republican presidential candidate was playing a round, prompting U.S. Secret Service to open fire, according to three law enforcement officials.

The person dropped the weapon and fled in an SUV, and was later apprehended in a neighboring county, the officials said. The officials were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The golf course was partially shut down for Trump as he played, and agents were a few holes ahead of him when they noticed the person with the firearm, the officials said.

An AK-style firearm was recovered at the scene near Trump’s golf course, two law enforcement officials said. The officials were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity about an ongoing investigation.

The golf course was partially shut down for Trump as he played, and agents were a few holes ahead of him when they noticed a person with the firearm, the officials said. The person appeared to push the muzzle of the rifle through a fence line and that’s when agents fired, the officials said.

Law enforcement officials were expected to speak to reporters Sunday afternoon about the incident and the apprehension of the suspect.

In an email to supporters, Trump said: “There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL!”

“Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER!” the former president said.

The Martin County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post on Sunday that it has stopped a vehicle on northbound Interstate 95 and taken a suspect into custody who is believed to be connected to the shooting.

The sheriff’s office said it made the stop after authorities in neighboring Palm Beach County put out a “be on the lookout” alert. Photos included in the post showed an SUV stopped behind multiple law enforcement vehicles.

The post by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office indicated the suspect was apprehended near Palm City, Florida, about a 45-mile drive north of Trump’s golf course. Northbound lanes of I-95 were shut down, the sheriff’s office said.

U.S. Secret Service agents opened fire after seeing a person with a firearm near Donald Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, while the Republican presidential candidate was golfing Sunday, according to two law enforcement officials. No injuries were reported.

The person fled in an SUV and was later apprehended in a nearby county by local law enforcement, the officials said. The officials were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity about an ongoing investigation.

The incident comes roughly two months after an assassination attempt on Trump’s life at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

—By

In an X post, South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of Trump’s top congressional allies, said he had spoken with Trump after the incident and that Trump was in “good spirits” and was “one of the strongest people I’ve ever known."

Trump often spends the morning playing golf, before having lunch at the Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach, one of three he owns in the state.

Donald Trump was safe after gunshots were reported in his vicinity Sunday afternoon in Florida, his campaign and the Secret Service said.

The U.S. Secret Service said it was investigating and that the incident occurred shortly before 2 p.m. “The former president is safe,” according to the Secret Service.

Roughly two months ago, Trump was shot during an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania, and a bullet grazed his ear.

Trump had returned to Florida this weekend from a West Coast swing that included a Friday night rally in Las Vegas and a Utah fundraiser.

The campaign did not immediately provide any additional details.

No injuries were reported in the shooting incident, a spokesperson for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office in Florida says.

The White House said President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, had both been briefed and would be kept updated on the investigation. The White House added they are “relieved” to know Trump is safe.

A law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation said officials were trying to determine whether the shots were fired near Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course or on the grounds. The official was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Police officers direct traffic near Trump International Golf Club after the apparent assassination attempt of Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump in West Palm Beach, Fla., Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)

Photos that show an AK-47 rifle, a backpack and a Go-Pro camera on a fence outside Trump International Golf Club taken after an apparent assassination attempt of Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, are displayed during a news conference at the Palm Beach County Main Library, Sunday. Sept. 15, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Stephany Matat)

A police officer directs traffic near Trump International Golf Club after the apparent assassination attempt of Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump in West Palm Beach, Fla., Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)

This photo provided by the Martin County Sheriff's Office shows Sheriff's vehicles surrounding an SUV on the northbound I-95 in Martin County on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (Martin County Sheriff's Office via AP)

This photo provided by the Martin County Sheriff's Office shows Sheriff's vehicles surrounding an SUV on the northbound I-95 in Martin County on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (Martin County Sheriff's Office via AP)

FILE - Security agents talk at the entrance to former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, March 31, 2023, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump waves as he boards a plane at Harry Reid International Airport after a campaign trip, Saturday, Sept.14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Sheriff vehicles are pictured near Trump International Golf Club, Sunday. Sept. 15, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla., after gunshots were reported in the vicinity of Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Stephanie Matat)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives at Harry Reid International Airport to board a plane after a campaign trip, Saturday, Sept.14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

FILE - The motorcade for President Donald Trump arrives at Trump International Golf Club, Feb. 15, 2020, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)