JERUSALEM: Israeli forces have killed nine Palestinians – including at least seven militants and a 61-year-old woman – in the deadliest incident in the occupied West Bank in two decades, Palestinian officials said.
Two rockets were fired from Gaza early Friday and Israel responded with airstrikes in the territory, further escalating tensions.
The Israeli military said both rockets were intercepted by its Iron Dome missile defense system. It was the first such attack from Hamas-ruled territory since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power at the helm of a far-right government that has pledged a hard line against militancy. Palestinian.
The Jenin refugee camp raid and rocket fire raises the risk of a major flare-up in Israeli-Palestinian fighting and casts a shadow over US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s planned trip to the region next week.
Raising the stakes, the Palestinian Authority said it would end its security forces’ ties with Israel in a joint effort to contain Islamic militants. Previous threats were short-lived, in part because of the benefits the authority derives from the relationship and also because of American and Israeli pressure to maintain it.
The PA already has limited control over scattered enclaves in the West Bank, and almost none over militant strongholds like the Jenin camp. But the announcement could pave the way for Israel to step up operations it says are needed to prevent attacks.
Hamas, the Islamic militant group that controls Gaza, had earlier threatened revenge for the raid. Violent escalations in the West Bank have already triggered retaliatory rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, which in turn has prompted Israeli airstrikes on the isolated and impoverished territory.
The Israeli strikes on Friday morning targeted training sites for Palestinian militant groups, the army said. Witnesses and local media reported that Israeli drones fired two missiles at a militant base in the central Gaza Strip. Drone strikes usually serve as a warning for larger airstrikes by fighter jets.
On Thursday, Israeli forces went on heightened alert as Palestinians flooded the streets of the West Bank, chanting slogans of solidarity with Jenin. President Mahmoud Abbas declared three days of mourning, and residents of the refugee camp dug a mass grave for the dead.
Palestinian Authority spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said Abbas had decided to cut off security coordination in light of “repeated aggressions against our people and the questioning of signed agreements”, saying referring to Oslo peace process commitments in the 1990s. He also said the Palestinians planned to file complaints with the UN Security Council, the International Criminal Court and other international bodies.
The PA last cut security coordination with Israel in 2020, over Netanyahu’s drive to annex the occupied West Bank, which would make a future Palestinian state virtually impossible. But six months later, the PA resumed its cooperation, signaling the financial significance of the relationship and Palestinian relief at the election of President Joe Biden.
Barbara Leaf, the top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East, said the administration was deeply concerned about the situation and the reported civilian casualties in Jenin were “quite regrettable.” But she also said the Palestinian announcement to suspend security ties was a mistake.
“Obviously, we don’t think that’s the right step to take at this time,” she told reporters, arguing that the Palestinian wish to take the case to the UN and the International Criminal Court was problematic.
“We want to see them come back the other way,” she said, adding, “They have to engage with each other.”
There have been no serious peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians for over a decade.
Thursday’s shooting that left nine people dead and 20 injured erupted as the Israeli military carried out a rare daytime operation in the Jenin camp it said was intended to prevent an imminent attack on Israelis. The camp, where the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group has a major presence, has been the center of near-night Israeli arrest raids.
Hamas’ military wing claimed four of the dead as members, while Islamic Jihad said three others belonged to the group. An earlier statement from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, a militia loosely affiliated with Abbas’ secular Fatah party, claimed one of the dead was a fighter named Izz al-Din Salahat, but he was not clear whether he was one of those seven activists.
The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the slain 61-year-old woman as Magda Obaid, and the Israeli military said it was reviewing reports of her death.
The Israeli military released aerial video it said was taken during the battle, showing what appeared to be Palestinians on rooftops throwing rocks and firebombs at Israeli forces below. At least one Palestinian can be seen opening fire from a rooftop.
Later in the day, Israeli forces shot dead a 22-year-old and wounded two others, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, as Palestinians clashed with Israeli troops north of Jerusalem to protest the raid. Thursday. Israeli paramilitary border police said they opened fire on Palestinians who threw fireworks at them at close range.
Tensions have skyrocketed since Israel intensified its raids in the West Bank last spring, following a series of Palestinian attacks.
Two rockets were fired from Gaza early Friday and Israel responded with airstrikes in the territory, further escalating tensions.
The Israeli military said both rockets were intercepted by its Iron Dome missile defense system. It was the first such attack from Hamas-ruled territory since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power at the helm of a far-right government that has pledged a hard line against militancy. Palestinian.
The Jenin refugee camp raid and rocket fire raises the risk of a major flare-up in Israeli-Palestinian fighting and casts a shadow over US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s planned trip to the region next week.
Raising the stakes, the Palestinian Authority said it would end its security forces’ ties with Israel in a joint effort to contain Islamic militants. Previous threats were short-lived, in part because of the benefits the authority derives from the relationship and also because of American and Israeli pressure to maintain it.
The PA already has limited control over scattered enclaves in the West Bank, and almost none over militant strongholds like the Jenin camp. But the announcement could pave the way for Israel to step up operations it says are needed to prevent attacks.
Hamas, the Islamic militant group that controls Gaza, had earlier threatened revenge for the raid. Violent escalations in the West Bank have already triggered retaliatory rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, which in turn has prompted Israeli airstrikes on the isolated and impoverished territory.
The Israeli strikes on Friday morning targeted training sites for Palestinian militant groups, the army said. Witnesses and local media reported that Israeli drones fired two missiles at a militant base in the central Gaza Strip. Drone strikes usually serve as a warning for larger airstrikes by fighter jets.
On Thursday, Israeli forces went on heightened alert as Palestinians flooded the streets of the West Bank, chanting slogans of solidarity with Jenin. President Mahmoud Abbas declared three days of mourning, and residents of the refugee camp dug a mass grave for the dead.
Palestinian Authority spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said Abbas had decided to cut off security coordination in light of “repeated aggressions against our people and the questioning of signed agreements”, saying referring to Oslo peace process commitments in the 1990s. He also said the Palestinians planned to file complaints with the UN Security Council, the International Criminal Court and other international bodies.
The PA last cut security coordination with Israel in 2020, over Netanyahu’s drive to annex the occupied West Bank, which would make a future Palestinian state virtually impossible. But six months later, the PA resumed its cooperation, signaling the financial significance of the relationship and Palestinian relief at the election of President Joe Biden.
Barbara Leaf, the top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East, said the administration was deeply concerned about the situation and the reported civilian casualties in Jenin were “quite regrettable.” But she also said the Palestinian announcement to suspend security ties was a mistake.
“Obviously, we don’t think that’s the right step to take at this time,” she told reporters, arguing that the Palestinian wish to take the case to the UN and the International Criminal Court was problematic.
“We want to see them come back the other way,” she said, adding, “They have to engage with each other.”
There have been no serious peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians for over a decade.
Thursday’s shooting that left nine people dead and 20 injured erupted as the Israeli military carried out a rare daytime operation in the Jenin camp it said was intended to prevent an imminent attack on Israelis. The camp, where the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group has a major presence, has been the center of near-night Israeli arrest raids.
Hamas’ military wing claimed four of the dead as members, while Islamic Jihad said three others belonged to the group. An earlier statement from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, a militia loosely affiliated with Abbas’ secular Fatah party, claimed one of the dead was a fighter named Izz al-Din Salahat, but he was not clear whether he was one of those seven activists.
The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the slain 61-year-old woman as Magda Obaid, and the Israeli military said it was reviewing reports of her death.
The Israeli military released aerial video it said was taken during the battle, showing what appeared to be Palestinians on rooftops throwing rocks and firebombs at Israeli forces below. At least one Palestinian can be seen opening fire from a rooftop.
Later in the day, Israeli forces shot dead a 22-year-old and wounded two others, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, as Palestinians clashed with Israeli troops north of Jerusalem to protest the raid. Thursday. Israeli paramilitary border police said they opened fire on Palestinians who threw fireworks at them at close range.
Tensions have skyrocketed since Israel intensified its raids in the West Bank last spring, following a series of Palestinian attacks.
