According to the Palestinian health ministry, Israeli forces raided the Aqbat Jabr refugee camp in Jericho, in the occupied West Bank, and fired bullets, missiles, and tear gas, injuring at least 13 Palestinians, two of whom were critically hurt.
Israeli radio confirmed that during the raid to apprehend Palestinians, Israeli forces launched an anti-tank guided missile.
Israel was charged by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society with impeding ambulance access. After the operation, they were eventually permitted to attend to the injured.
The five-hour raid was “a continuation” of the incident that happened in Jenin, close to Jericho, last Saturday.
Israeli troops have been searching for suspects in a drive-by shooting near an illegal Israeli settlement not far from Jericho for a week, effectively cutting off the 37,000-person city.
According to what we hear, among the 10 people detained by the Israeli troops were the suspects sought in connection with that shooting.
The raid on Saturday came a week after nine Palestinians were slain by Israeli forces in the Jenin refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank.
This is truly part of an extremely brutal start to the year for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, where 36 people have been slain thus far.
And all of this is supported by the current far-right Israeli administration, which includes a cabinet minister who was chosen by settlers who want to expand the West Bank settlement project and make life even more difficult for Palestinians than it already is.
More than 8,000 Palestinians live in Aqbat Jabr, one of 19 Palestinian refugee camps in the occupied West Bank. People there, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency, lack basic housing and sewage services.
Israeli forces have recently increased their nocturnal raids, especially in the northern occupied cities of Jenin and Nablus, in an effort to squash the meager armed resistance of the Palestinian people to Israeli rule.
As well as innocent bystanders and civilians battling Israeli troops during raids, Palestinian fighters have also been slain during targeted killings and armed encounters.
In light of the rising violence in the occupied Palestinian territories, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared last week that Israel would arm its citizens with firearms. The actions were taken in response to a Palestinian killing seven Israelis in occupied East Jerusalem.
Abdullah Sami Qalalweh, a 26-year-old Palestinian man, was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers on Friday in the West Bank, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
Eight children and an old lady are among the 36 Palestinians murdered by Israeli forces so far this year, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
On a separate note, Volker Turk, the UN’s high commissioner for the rights, urged Israel on Friday to “guarantee that all actions of its security forces in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are carried out with full regard for international human rights law.”
According to a statement from his office, he emphasized abiding by “the norms limiting the use of force in law enforcement operations.”
