This is a developing story and we will update with new information as it becomes available.
13.15: A comprehensive strike has been declared in mourning in cities across the West Bank, with all commercial shops closed for the day.
14:42: Israeli forces have withdrawn from the city, the funerals for the four Palestinians are underway, thousands are attending and marching through the streets.
Jerusalem24 – The Israeli military killed four Palestinians and injured another 44 during a wide-scale raid on Jenin camp which is ongoing at the time of publication.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health named the four Palestinians killed as 27-year-old Abd Al-Rahman Khazem, 30-year-old Mohammad Mahmoud Al-Luna, and 26-year-old Ahmad Nazmi Alawneh, and Mohammad Abu Na’aseh.
Khazem, Al-Luna and Alawneh were known to be Palestinian fighters, and Alawneh was also a member of the Palestinian Authority’s military intelligence.
The Ministry of Health has not yet released details surrounding the death of Abu Na’aseh.
Anti-tank missiles
Confrontations erupted across Jenin’s refugee camp as Israeli forces besieged a house belonging to Raed Khazem’s father Nidal Khazem. Raed Khazem was the perpetrator of a shooting attack that killed three Israelis and wounded 15 others in a bar in Tel Aviv in April.
The Israeli army announced that the aim of the operation was to capture Raed’s brother Abd Al-Rahman Khazem, whom the army accuses of shooting at an army bulldozer in the area of the Jalameh checkpoint, north of Jenin, earlier in September.
According to eyewitnesses and video documentation, Israeli forces used an anti-tank missile which caused the besieged house to burst into flames. Abd Al-Rahman Khazem and Mohammad Al-Luna were both killed inside the house.
The Israeli army announced the death of Khazem’s brother at the early stages of the ongoing raid. The Palestinian Ministry of Health however only confirmed his death around two hours later.
The Israeli military has been making increasing use of rockets and missiles in drawn-out raids and sieges across the West Bank and particularly Jenin, as well as drones.
Heavy toll for Jenin
Armed confrontations erupted after Israeli forces stormed the camp and surrounded the Khazem house.
Israeli forces prevented ambulances from reaching the heart of the confrontations in Mahyoub Street in the camp, according to journalists on the ground. The journalists described the situation in the camp as “very, very difficult.”
By the time of publication, 44 injuries due to live ammunition have been reported by the Ministry of Health, including two in critical condition who were shot in the chest. Ahmad Alawneh, who was shot in the head by a sniper, died immediately.
Certain news outlets erroneously reported that another Palestinian fighter, Tariq Al-Shaqfa, was shot and killed; however, he is being hospitalized and his condition is described critical.
The director of Jenin Hospital, Wissam Bakr, told WAFA News Agency that two men were injured by live ammunition to the chest and described their condition as serious.
Ibn Sina hospital in Jenin announced that they are treating a total of 26 injuries as a result of ongoing confrontations with the Israeli military.
Israeli forces have now shot and killed a total of 95 Palestinians in the West Bank this year, including 24 children. This marks a sharp increase over last year’s toll of 92 Palestinians shot and killed in the West Bank for the whole of 2021, and an average of 41 during the whole Netanyahu era.
38 have been killed in Jenin alone.
In December 2021, the Israeli military changed its rules of engagement in the occupied West Bank, explicitly allowing its soldiers to shoot-to-kill Palestinians even if they are fleeing and presenting no danger.
“Sit on the ground under your seats”
Salam Al-Taher, Director of the Education Ministry in Jenin, said in an interview with Palestine TV that she contacted the headmasters of all the schools in the city and gave instructions to “force the students to sit on the ground under their seats” as a precaution to avoid any stray bullets.
Residents of Jenin have been sharing photos and videos of the ongoing confrontations on social media.
عاجل| تغطية صحفية: أنباء عن محاصرة قوات الاحتلال لمنزل عائلة رعد خـــازم في جنين. pic.twitter.com/N4Sn6NZwIO
— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) September 28, 2022
تغطية صحفية: “ألسنة الدخان تتصاعد من المنزل الذي استهدفه الاحتلال في مخيم جنين”. pic.twitter.com/ZKZ0D7VUwV
— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) September 28, 2022
تغطية صحفية: صور لمنزل عائلة رعد خــازم في مخيم جنين. pic.twitter.com/QMw5MvseOC
— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) September 28, 2022
