Israeli forces raid West Bank, at least 6 Palestinians killed
The Hindu
The spokesman of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas denounced the Israeli military for waging “an all-out war” against the Palestinians and for derailing recent efforts to restore stability
The Israeli army raided the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on March 7, Palestinian health officials said, leading to a gunbattle that killed at least six Palestinians and wounded a dozen others.
The Israeli military said it had killed the suspected assailant behind the fatal shooting of two Israeli brothers in the northern West Bank town of Hawara last week. Israeli military officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss events still unfolding, said that two Israeli soldiers were wounded in the raid, one seriously.
The Jenin brigade, a loosely organised armed group based in the refugee camp, said its militants shot and hurled explosive devices at Israeli soldiers who had surrounded a house in the refugee camp. Videos showed black smoke billowing in the distance after the army fired missiles at the besieged house. The Israeli military said troops responded with live fire to a barrage of gunfire, bricks and improvised explosive devices.
Tuesday’s raid was the latest in a string of deadly arrest operations by the Israeli military in the northern West Bank, as violence surges to its highest levels in years. The raid raised fears of further bloodshed as Israel struggles to contain growing unrest led by young Palestinians in the occupied West Bank who are increasingly taking up arms against Israel's open-ended occupation, now in its 56th year.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said six people were shot and killed on Tuesday — men ranging in age from 22 to 49 — and 12 others wounded. Israeli security forces identified 49-year-old Abdul Fattah Kharushah as the militant who killed the Israeli brothers in Hawara.
The spokesman of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Nabil Abu Rdeneh, denounced the Israeli military for waging “an all-out war” against the Palestinians and for derailing recent efforts to restore stability.
The army said it also operated in the nearby flashpoint city of Nablus to arrest other suspects. Residents of Nablus reported that at least two people were apprehended before the army withdrew.