At least 19 people have been killed by Israeli forces since it ramped up deadly raids after Gaza ceasefire two weeks ago.
Two Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the Jenin governorate in the occupied West Bank, bringing the total number of people killed in the area since a major assault began almost two weeks ago to 19.
The two Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli forces late on Thursday during an Israeli army operation inside the Jenin refugee camp, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The Wafa news agency identified the two men as Yazan Hatem al-Hassan and Amir Abu Hassan.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported that it received three middle-aged Palestinian women in Jenin who were wounded by shrapnel from an Israeli air strike on a building in the refugee camp.
On Wednesday, during a visit to the refugee camp, Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said the assault was aimed at destroying “terror infrastructure”, adding that after the completion of the operation, the Israeli army will remain in the camp.
The latest Israeli assault in Jenin followed the army’s announcement on Thursday that one of its soldiers was killed in the occupied territory.
On Tuesday, two Palestinian youths were killed in the same area by Israeli forces. Another 10 Palestinians were also killed in a drone strike in Ramallah on Wednesday.
Earlier this month, Israeli forces launched a major offensive in the Jenin area, dubbed the “Iron Wall”, almost immediately after a ceasefire was declared in Gaza.
On Thursday evening, two Palestinian children were hit by Israeli gunfire in the town of al-Khader, south of Bethlehem, wounding them in their feet.
A 23-year-old Palestinian man was also injured by Israeli gunfire during a raid in the town of al-Ubeidiya, east of Bethlehem.
In addition, Israeli forces also stormed the Bawaba area of al-Khader and fired tear gas and stun grenades, causing several civilians to suffer from suffocation due to gas inhalation, Wafa reported.
On Thursday, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa described what is happening in the occupied West Bank as “a systematic effort to destroy the foundations of the Palestinian state”.
“We are witnessing military incursions into northern West Bank governorates, accompanied by killing, detention, infrastructure destruction, and demolition of homes and structures. This demands urgent international action to put this to an end.”
Aside from its full-blown military assault on Gaza, Israel has also been carrying out a parallel major military offensive throughout the occupied West Bank since October 2023.
Since then, Israeli troops and settlers have killed at least 880 Palestinians across the occupied West Bank.
