Israeli forces killed nine Palestinians and injured twelve during a raid in a refugee camp in Jenin said the Palestinian Ministry of Health on Thursday. The fatalities included an elderly woman, identified as Magda Obaid (60), and eight men, said the ministry. This marks the deadliest day for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank in over a year and one of the highest counts in Jenin in the past several years.
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Featured Image Source: Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP/Getty Images
In a statement, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said that it had sent special forces to the refugee camp to detain members suspected of carrying out terror attacks and to foil imminent attack plans of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group. It said that they killed 3 ‘terrorists’ in the encounter. It said that they were looking into “claims regarding additional casualties.” No Israeli soldiers were hurt in the clashes.
Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila said that the situation in Jenin was “extremely critical” following the raid. The Palestinian Red Crescent (PRC) said Israeli forces had initially prevented medics and ambulances from entering the Jenin camp. This made it difficult to reach the injured people, four of whom were in critical condition.
The high death toll drew a warning from the Islamic Jihad that its truce with Israel which was called after a brief exchange of fire across the border could be in danger. “We contacted the mediators and told them that what is happening in Jenin is an Israeli war against the Palestinian people and that it doesn’t stop at Jenin. If it continues it might not be limited to Jenin,” an Islamic Jihad official said. Another Islamic group, Hamas also confirmed that their men had also been involved in the fighting on Thursday.
The Raid
Israeli forces said that the raid was launched against the cell’s hideout apartment in the refugee camp after “accurate intelligence” was provided by the Shin Bet Security Agency to the army.
Troops used shoulder-launched missiles and other explosives against the hideout, in a tactic known as “pressure cooker,” to try and flush out the wanted men, the officer said. During the raid, other Palestinian gunmen opened fire at Israeli troops who returned fire, hitting some of them.
At the entrance of the camp’s cramped alleyways, local youths threw rocks at the army’s vehicles. A two-storey building that had been the focus of the fighting was left with heavy damage. The PRC said that the IDF had also fired tear canisters on the children’s ward of the Jenin Government Hospital which caused inhalation injuries among children.
Tensions have risen in recent weeks as Israeli forces strengthened its ‘anti-terrorism’ offensive. Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh called on the United Nations and international human rights organizations to “intervene urgently to provide protection … and stop the bloodshed of children, youth and women.” The Palestinian Presidency also criticised the “international silence” that has resulted in the continuing attacks.
Jenin is a Palestinian city in the north of the West Bank. The area has witnessed intensified raids in the last year after local men carried out street attacks in the cities. The past year was the deadliest for both the Palestinians and Israeli. 29 Palestinians, including gunmen and civilians, have been killed by Israeli forces since January 1.
