Jenin burns again. In a new Israeli military raid, which unlike the previous ones was carried out in broad daylight, at least six Palestinians were killed and eleven wounded. According to the Ministry of Health of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), two people are in serious condition, so the number of victims could increase. It was not clarified if all the deceased participated in the harsh exchange of fire registered at the entrances to the refugee camp in the city.
In the afternoon, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that “security forces are operating in the Jenin refugee camp,” the epicenter of confrontations between militants and Israeli troops in the West Bank. According to Israeli sources, one of the Palestinians killed, Abdel Fattah Hussein Kharousha, was a member of Hamas who participated in the shooting on February 26 in Hawara (Nablus), in which two Jewish brothers were shot to death in their vehicle.
The daytime operation facilitated the recording and dissemination of photos and videos on social networks. The column of IDF armored jeeps was guarded from the air by a helicopter, and according to witnesses present in the combat zone, the troops surrounded two houses where armed militants were hiding. Since they refused to surrender, the buildings were hit with nine anti-tank shells. After the IDF withdrew, locals celebrated the downing of a drone.
Islamic Jihad announced that its militants fired and threw explosive devices at the IDF. Images of Israeli military jeeps blocking ambulance access to the fighting site also circulated. “Armed suspects fired at soldiers from an ambulance, which was used as a human shield,” the Israeli military spokesman alleged.
At the same time, the army stormed the Askar refugee camp, on the outskirts of Nablus, where it arrested three people, including two sons of the perpetrator of the attack in Hawara. Following the deadly shooting, hundreds of radical settlers launched a pogrom on the town. The assault culminated in dozens of burnt-out houses and vehicles, one dead and more than a hundred injured.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blessed his troops who “eliminated the despicable terrorist who murdered two brothers in cold blood. Those who try to harm us end up paying the price”. For Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for the PNA presidency, “the daily killings of the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people, including the shelling of houses with missiles, is a massive war that destroys everything.” He according to the rais spokesman Mahmoud Abbas, “the intention is to harm all regional and international efforts that seek to stop Israel’s unilateral actions.”
IDF military raids in Jenin have raised the death toll to levels not seen in decades. Last January, an anti-terrorist operation left nine victims, including an innocent woman. More than a year ago, the Israeli army launched Operation “Breaking the Wave”, with the mission of neutralizing armed cells that carried out attacks throughout Israel. So far this year, 71 Palestinians and 14 Israelis have already been killed in armed clashes or attacks.