CNN
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The Palestinian Ministry of Health said Israeli forces killed nine Palestinians, including an elderly woman, and injured several others in a raid on Thursday in a West Bank town and a refugee camp in Jenin.
The death toll made Thursday the deadliest day for Palestinians in the West Bank in more than a year, according to CNN records. The number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces this year has risen to 29, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. The victims include militants targeted in Israeli raids, individuals who attacked Israelis, and bystanders, CNN reports show.
Israeli security forces said Thursday they were working to arrest “terrorist units affiliated with the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization” in Jenin, killing three “terrorists”, the statement said.
According to a joint statement by the Israeli Defense Forces, the Israeli Security Service and the Border Police, “Islamic Jihad terrorist operatives carried out and planned multiple large-scale terrorist attacks, including shooting attacks on IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians. was deeply involved in
Two armed suspects were “neutralized” while on the run, and a third was neutralized at the scene, the statement said. Another suspect surrendered, they said.
The Israeli military reported no injuries on their side, but said it was aware of “allegations of additional casualties during the shootout” and was investigating.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRC) said Israeli forces initially prevented medics from entering the Jenin camp, making it difficult to reach the wounded, four of whom were in critical condition.
China also said Israeli forces fired tear gas canisters at the Jenin government hospital, causing inhalation injuries to children.
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh called on the United Nations and international human rights organizations to “intervene urgently to provide protection and stop the bloodshed of children, youth and women.”
Last year was the deadliest for both Palestinians and Israelis in the West Bank in nearly two decades, CNN analysis of official statistics from both sides showed.
“Fighting terrorism is a complex task,” a top Israeli military official told CNN after Thursday’s deadly Israeli raid. was speaking with CNN’s Hadas Gold shortly after the raid and before receiving a full briefing.
An IDF spokesperson later told CNN that the military was responding to information about an imminent attack.
“We entered Jenin during the day,” said a spokesperson, stressing that the IDF’s decision to operate during the day rather than at night, as it normally does, showed how “urgent” the mission was. .
When the force reached the target building they were “under heavy fire and counter-attacked”.
The suspect had barricaded his house when the Israeli Defense Forces arrived, so “the military also used anti-tank shoulder-launched missiles.”
“Unfortunately, we are aware of reports that a woman in her 60s died during surgery. added.
Israel has stepped up its defenses against attacks by Palestinian militants following the attacks, the defense ministry said.