Israeli forces kill 5 Palestinians, injure dozens in Jenin shootout

Israeli special forces have killed at least five Palestinians and wounded dozens of others during heavy clashes that broke out between resistance fighters and the regime’s troops after the latter carried out a raid in the occupied northern West Bank city of Jenin.

At least 66 Palestinians were wounded with live ammunition and several were listed in serious and critical condition, health officials said.

The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the Palestinian victims as Khaled Asa’sah, 21, Ahmad Saqer, 15, Qassam Abu Siryie, 29, Ahmed Khaled Fayez Daraghmeh, 19, and 21-year-old Qais Jabareen.

According to local sources, violent clashes erupted between Israeli forces and Palestinian gunmen in the Jenin refugee camp and the al-Jabriyat neighborhood, with resistance fighters detonating homemade explosives as Israeli military vehicles passed by.

Several vehicles were damaged and set on fire as a result.

Footage shared by Palestinian media outlets showed Israeli army vehicles engulfed in smoke after apparently being hit by homemade explosive devices.

Another clip showed the Israeli military vehicles coming under fire. Gunfire and explosions could be heard across the city in other clips shared online.

TV7 Israel News television station reported that at least six Israeli troops were wounded as a result of an explosion that struck their military jeep.

The channel added that an explosive device hit the jeep and penetrated it. The wounded soldiers were transferred under gunfire to Gilboa (al-Jalama) crossing and from there to near hospitals onboard helicopters.

Clips published by Palestinian media also showed an Israeli Apache helicopter launching a missile at a target and deploying flares over the city.

Footage showed an area close to a building being struck several times by helicopter missiles, in what marks the first airstrike in the West Bank in years.

The Jenin Brigades, a local wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad resistance group, announced in a statement that its members had detonated explosive devices near Israeli military vehicles and then targeted them with gunfire.

Tensions have been running high in the occupied West Bank over the past year, with the Israeli military conducting violent raids under the pretext of detaining what it calls “wanted” Palestinians.

As a result of these attacks, nearly 160 Palestinians, including 28 children, have lost their lives and many others have been arrested in 2023.

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