At least seven people were killed in total and 19 wounded, two in serious condition, by Israeli army, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Israeli forces killed several Palestinians, including students, a teacher, and a doctor, and injured others, including a journalist, during a raid on Jenin in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday.
The attack began around 8am local time when an undercover unit of Israeli special forces was discovered in the Jenin refugee camp. This led to an influx of military vehicles into the area.
Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli forces fired indiscriminately at Palestinians, targeting anyone who moved, including individuals in their cars and families attempting to retrieve their children from school, which had been canceled due to the raid.
Among the victims were two boys, Osama Abu Hajeer, 16, and Mahmoud Hamadneh, 15, who were killed while leaving their school. One of the boys was on a bicycle when he was shot, according to local reports.
Allam Jaradat, 48, a teacher, was also killed as he tried to leave the school in his vehicle. A photograph from his car showed blood-stained school reports in the backseat.
Amer Abu Ali, a resident of the Jenin refugee camp, stated that “Jaradat was trying to leave the city… but the soldiers stopped him and shot him without any justification. He remained bleeding for more than half an hour without anyone being able to reach him, then he died of his wounds.”
Dr. Osaid Jabarin, a specialist in general surgery, was fatally shot by Israeli forces as he made his way to Jenin Governmental Hospital, where he had worked for 17 years.
Journalist Muhammad Abu Al-Rub described his killing as “cold-blooded.” Jabarin, 51, who also lectured in dentistry at Jenin’s Arab American University, was shot outside the hospital, according to Wissam Sbeihat, the director general of the city’s health ministry.
Sbeihat reported that Israeli forces were targeting anything that moved and obstructing ambulances from reaching the injured. He described significant infrastructure destruction and the deliberate targeting of medical personnel and ambulance teams.
The Jenin hospital struggled to cope with the influx of wounded, and Sbeihat warned that they could “lose control” if the raid continued.
The situation in the camp is catastrophic,” said Amer Abu Ali, a Jenin resident. He noted that sniper fire had injured many, and medical teams were unable to reach them. He also said residents were attempting to provide first aid in their homes.
The Health Ministry identified the other three Palestinians killed as Basem Turkman, 53, Muamar Abu Amira, 50, and Amir Abu Amira, 22. Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli troops fired at journalists, an ambulance, a civilian car, and people in the courtyard of Jenin hospital.
Journalist Amr Manasara and two men in the moving car were wounded in the attacks.
Medical teams were also blocked by Israeli forces from reaching some of those wounded in the attack, which led to the death of some victims from their injuries.
Local sources said at least 10 wounded people were lying in the alleys of Jenin camp and medical teams had not yet been able to reach them.
Hamas said the “massacre” in Jenin was a “desperate attempt” by the Israeli military to discourage Palestinians from resisting the occupation.
“As we mourn the martyrs, we affirm that the ongoing crimes of the occupation against our people in Gaza and the West Bank will not weaken the support of our people, nor will they stop their resistance and relentless pursuit of liberating their land and sanctities and achieving their national rights,” the group said in a statement.
In over seven months, more than 500 Palestinians, including over 120 children, were killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
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