JENIN: According to Palestinian officials, an Israeli raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank on Thursday resulted in the deaths of nine Palestinians, among them an elderly woman. The troops are also accused of throwing tear gas inside a hospital children’s ward.
According to the health ministry, there were “nine martyrs, including an elderly woman,” in addition to several injuries.
The occupying forces “stormed Jenin Government Hospital and deliberately shot tear gas canisters at the paediatric department in the hospital,” the Palestinian health minister Mai al-Kaila alleged of a separate statement.
She referred to the circumstance in the camp as “serious” and claimed that Israeli forces were impeding medics from getting to the injured.
When questioned about the tear gas claim by the health minister, the Israeli army declined to comment to AFP.
The only statement made by the military is that “forces are working in Jenin.”
With the deaths on Thursday, there have now been 29 Palestinian martyrs in the West Bank this year, including fighters and civilians, the majority of whom were shot by Israeli troops.
Residents were experiencing a “true state of war,” according to Jenin deputy governor Kamal Abu al-Rub, who spoke to AFP.
He told AFP that “anything that moves is being shot at and destroyed by the Israeli army.”
The death toll has continued to rise in the Palestinian territories. The year preceding this statement was the worst year since United Nations records began in 2005. The context and specific events that led to the high death toll are not specified.
“International pause”
According to an AFP count from official sources, at least 26 Israelis and 200 Palestinians were martyred in Israel and the Palestinian territories in 2022, with the bulk occurring in the West Bank.
The West Bank has been under Israeli control since the Six-Day War in 1967.
The raid on Jenin on Thursday, according to the Palestinian leadership, was carried out “under international silence.”
Nabil Abu Rudeinah, a spokesman for Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas, said “this is what motivates the occupation administration to carry out crimes against our people in full light of the world.” He was referring to the actions of the occupation administration. The context and the specific events that he was referring to is not specified.
The Palestinian Minister of Health requested an immediate meeting with representatives of the World Health Organization and the International Committee of the Red Cross. The request was made in light of the events in Jenin. The reason for the meeting is not specified.
The most recent violence occurs a day after two Palestinians were killed by Israeli soldiers in separate incidents.
An Israeli army claimed that a 22-year-old attempted to stab soldiers. As a result, the 22-year-old was martyred close to the West Bank city of Qalqilya. The event took place in the West Bank area.
During a raid in the Shuafat refugee camp in Israeli-occupied east Jerusalem, a 17-year-old kid was slain by Israeli soldiers. The kid appeared to be brandishing a fake pistol at police. The incident took place after the event being discussed.
The adolescent was the fifth Palestinian kid to die this month as a result of Israeli military actions.