Palestine (imemc, Wafa News Agency,AA): Six Palestinian men were killed, 26 injured by Israeli forces in West Bank city of Jenin Tuesday. Three of those wounded had injuries that were described as critical.
The US threw its support Tuesday behind the Israeli military raid in Jenin.
“Israel has the legitimate right to defend its people and its territory against all forms of aggression, including, of course, those from terrorist groups,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters. “And we have seen far too many vivid illustrations of the terrorist threat that Israel faces”.
“We remain deeply concerned by the sharp rise in violence in the West Bank, and we continue to urge the parties to take immediate steps to prevent the further loss of life,” he added.
According to the Palestinian Wafa News Agency, Israeli forces fired at least one missile towards a building in Jenin refugee camp, and columns of smoke were seen rising from the building. In addition, the Israeli military deployed dozens of snipers on the roofs of commercial and residential buildings in Jenin and Jenin refugee camp, firing at Palestinians on the ground.
Over 26 others were wounded in the raid, some seriously, eyewitnesses told.
According to Palestine TV station, Israeli forces backed by a bulldozer raided the Jenin refugee camp and surrounded a house inside.
WAFA correspondent said the army raided Jenin refugee camp and fired a missile at one of the houses. Armed clashes broke out leading to the killing six and the injury of others.
Those killed by the invading Israeli forces were identified as Mohammad Wael Ghazzawi (26 years) from Jenin camp, Tariq Ziyad Mustafa Natour (27 years) from Jenin, Ziyad Amin Al-Zar’ini (29 years) from Jenin, and Abdel-Fattah Hussein Kharousha (49 years) from the Askar camp in Nablus, Mutasem Nasser Sabbagh (22 years) from the Jenin camp, and Muhammad Ahmed Salim Khallouf (22 years) from the town of Burqin in the Jenin governorate.
An Israeli military statement said army forces were operating in the Jenin area, without providing any further details.
Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh condemned what he described as the “horrific massacre” committed by the Israeli occupation forces in Jenin camp.
Tension has been running high across the occupied West Bank in recent weeks amid repeated Israeli raids into Palestinian towns.
This is the third such invasion targeting Palestinians in the northern West Bank in the past three months. On February 22, Israeli occupation forces committed a “massacre” in the city of Nablus, which resulted in the death of 11 Palestinians, including a child and 3 elders, and the injury of more than 102 others.
And on January 26, the Israeli occupation forces raided city of Jenin and the Jenin refugee camp, during which 9 Palestinians were killed, including an elderly woman, and 20 Palestinians were injured.
Nearly 73 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the start of this year, according to Palestinian figures. Fourteen Israelis have also been killed in separate attacks during the same period.
[Photo: Israeli soldiers take position and shoot at Palestinians during an Israeli raid in Jenin, West Bank on March 7, 2023.
Photojournalist :Israel Defense Forces (IDF)/AA]
