Tel Aviv: As Israel continued with its military raids at the West Bank on Thursday, five 'militants' including a top commander of Islamic Jihad were killed in the operation, The Washington Post reported.

This was the second day of Israeli operation, in what appeared to be one of the largest in the territory in recent years.

Hundreds of Israeli troops launched raids in several areas of the northern West Bank on Wednesday, carrying out mass arrests and engaging in gun battles. It said the operation was needed to stave off terrorist attacks on Israelis.

But, Palestinians said the sweeping incursion could fuel further violence and hamper access to health care and other essential services.

Military operations around Jenin and Tulkarm continued on Thursday morning. The militant groups said they were exchanging fire with Israeli troops.

The Israel Defense Forces announced Thursday that Mohamed Jaber, also known as Abu Shuja'a, was one of five militants Israeli forces killed inside a mosque in Tulkarm after "exchanges of fire," The Post reported.

Jaber, the commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad-led Tulkarm battalion, was one of Israel's most wanted men for his role in the planning and execution of attacks including a shooting that killed an Israeli civilian, Amnon Muchtar, in the West Bank city of Qalqilya in June.

Abu Shuja'a, 26, has proved an elusive target for Israel: This spring, Israeli media reported the military had killed him during a raid -- before he received a hero's welcome, alive, at a funeral days later.

The Tulkarm branch of Palestinian Islamic Jihad confirmed Shuja's killing terming it the "assassination of our leader" in a statement on Telegram. It further said its fighters detonated an explosive device and shot at an Israeli infantry unit behind a mosque, causing "direct hits" in response to the killing, as reported by The Washington Post.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed 'deep concerns' about Israeli raids and called for "an immediate cessation," Al Jazeera reported.

"All those injured must have access to medical care, and humanitarian workers must be able to reach everyone in need," he said.

"These dangerous developments are fuelling an already explosive situation in the occupied West Bank and further undermining the Palestinian Authority," he added.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration has sanctioned an Israeli NGO known as Hashomer Yosh as well as three members within this group. This group is funded in part by the Israeli government and is affiliated with far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir as well as Bezalel Smotrich.

However, Israel has raised objections to the sanctions. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has released a statement saying the Israeli government views with "the utmost severity the imposition of sanctions on citizens of Israel" and that "the issue will be a point of discussion" with the US, as reported by Al Jazeera.

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