Army says troops ‘neutralised’ two suspected militants in occupied northern West Bank city
Israeli forces have killed four Palestinians, including a teenager, in the occupied West Bank in the latest deadly raid on Jenin, which Israel said targeted armed suspects.
Dozens of heavily armed masked men fired into the air as they walked through the streets during the funerals of the four dead, including two who Palestinian groups and the Israeli army identified as militants.
The Israeli army initially said troops “neutralised” two suspected militants in the northern West Bank city, accusing them of terrorist activities.
An army spokesperson added: “Armed gunmen fired at the forces and the forces responded with live fire.” One of those killed “was neutralised after attempting to attack the forces with a crowbar”.
The Palestinian health ministry said 23 others had been wounded in the raid, five seriously. It identified those killed as Omar Awadin, 16, Luay al-Zughair, 37, Nidal Khazim, 28 and Youssef Shreem, 29.
Islamic Jihad claimed Khazim as one of its members, and Hamas’s armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, said Shreem belonged to their group. The Israeli statement claimed they were both Islamic Jihad members.
Islamic Jihad said Israel would “pay the price for these crimes”.
Mahmoud al-Saadi, of the Palestinian Red Crescent in Jenin, said: “An Israeli undercover unit stormed the city centre’s Abu Bakr street.”
The raid comes days before a meeting between Palestinian and Israeli officials on Sunday in the Egyptian city Sharm el-Sheikh aimed at reducing tensions before Ramadan.
The Islamist movement Hamas, which rules in the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip, called the raid a “crime … that would not go unanswered”.
Israeli forces have launched numerous raids on the city of Jenin and its eponymous refugee camp in recent months that have targeted Palestinian militants. More than 20 Palestinians have been killed in these raids since the start of the year.
READ FULL ARTICLE:
REFERENCE:
By: Miss Cherry May Timbol – Independent Reporter
