Israeli forces kill three Palestinian militants near Jenin camp in the occupied West Bank
Israeli security forces have reportedly killed three Palestinian militants near the Jenin camp in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli army claims that the group was preparing to carry out an attack and that an automatic rifle was found in their car. Islamic Jihad has since claimed that one of those killed was a member and has vowed to respond with a “strong response from the resistance”.
This incident comes just a day after a Palestinian gunman fatally shot an Israeli security guard in Tel Aviv. Another guard managed to kill the attacker. The gunman is said to have come from the Jenin area.
In a separate incident on Friday, armed Jewish settlers attacked a Palestinian village where a young Palestinian man was shot dead. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has praised the security forces’ actions in Jenin, stating that they will continue to take action against those who seek to attack Israel.
The Jenin camp was recently the target of a major Israeli operation last month. However, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh argues that these recent incidents of violence in Jenin could have been avoided if the perpetrators felt that they would be held accountable for their actions.
Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, has condemned the killings, describing them as “assassinations” and warning that Israel will face consequences.
Reports indicate that the youngest of those killed in the incident was only 15 years old.
On Friday night, extremist Jewish settlers launched an attack on a Palestinian village in the West Bank, resulting in the death of a 19-year-old Palestinian man. Israeli police have arrested two settlers in connection with the incident, one of whom is a former spokesman for the ultranationalist Jewish Power party.
In an unusual statement, the Israel Defense Force’s (IDF) spokesperson acknowledged a rise in “nationalistic crime and terrorism,” claiming that it is pushing Palestinians who are not involved in terrorism towards extremism.
The head of Israel’s domestic intelligence agency, Shin Bet, had warned Prime Minister Netanyahu before Friday that “Jewish terror incites Palestinian terror”, according to Israeli news site Yediot Ahronot.
The United States has condemned the latest settler attack as terrorism, signaling growing frustration with Israel’s far-right government.