A raid by the Israeli military escalates in the West Bank. Soldiers engaged in firefights with militant Palestinians for hours. Several people are killed, including a youth.
At least five Palestinians were killed in a fierce firefight with the Israeli army on Monday in Jenin in the occupied West Bank. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, one of the dead was a 15-year-old. The others were between 19 and 29 years old. Several dozen people were also injured by shots, some of them life-threatening.
At least two of the dead were fighters from the militant Palestinian organization Islamic Jihad, the group confirmed. According to media reports, a Palestinian journalist who reported on the operation was among the injured.
According to the Israeli military, the arrest of two suspects resulted in an exchange of gunfire that lasted several hours. At least one military vehicle was damaged by an explosive device. For the first time in years, an army helicopter opened fire on several armed Palestinians in Jenin “to support the withdrawal of the troops”. Seven emergency services were injured.
calls for tougher action
Even during the operation, there were calls for tough action in Jenin. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a member of the Security Cabinet, said it was “time to move from tweezers to a broad operation to eliminate terrorist nests” in the north of the West Bank. Defense Minister Joav Galant wrote on Twitter: “There are no compromises in the fight against terror, we will continue to attack, we will use all means at our disposal and defeat the terrorist elements everywhere.”
The EU expressed its concern about the events in Jenin. Military operations must be proportionate and in accordance with international law, a spokesman said. Israel should end the settlement policy, it said.
Always confrontations
Jenin is considered a stronghold of militant Palestinians. Again and again there are violent confrontations with the Israeli military in the city. The army has been conducting raids in the West Bank since a series of attacks on Israelis. In addition to Hamas, which rules in the Gaza Strip, Islamic Jihad (PJI) and other loose groups have gained influence there. They are mostly financed by Iran.
Iran’s head of state, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, received the PJI leader in Tehran last week. According to media reports, a high-ranking Hamas delegation arrived in Iran on Monday for talks. Tehran reiterated its support for groups fighting archenemy Israel.
Since the beginning of the year, 127 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military operations, confrontations or after their own attacks. During the same period, 18 Israelis, one Ukrainian and one Italian were killed in attacks. Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six Day War. The Palestinians claim the areas for their own state.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
