Israeli Forces Kill Five Palestinians in Occupied West Bank
The Israeli army said it conducted an operation in the Aqbat Jabr refugee camp near Jericho to arrest armed Palestinians.
Armed clashes were reported during the dawn raid, which followed nearly two weeks of Israeli closures and checkpoints on Jericho’s entrances and exits.
Palestinian medics said three more Palestinians were wounded, one of them in critical condition. No Israelis were hurt.
The Palestinian ministry of health did not confirm the number of casualties or their identities.
The Israeli army ramped up operations and raids in Jericho after a report of a shooting at a restaurant frequented by settlers in the city on 28 January. No casualties were reported at the time.
The army said two Palestinians suspected of being behind the restaurant shooting were among those killed on Monday.
On Saturday, an Israeli raid on Aqbat Jabr camp was met with heavy gunfire by Palestinian fighters who appeared to be members of Hamas' armed wing, the Qassam Brigades.
Jericho, located northeast of Jerusalem, is a West Bank city that rarely witnesses violence.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh mourned those killed in the raid as “heroes”.
“Despite the heinous massacre, the [Qassam] Brigades will continue its operations along with all revolutionaries of our people until we defeat the occupation,” he said.
Several Palestinian towns and cities declared a day of mourning and called for confrontations with Israeli troops at checkpoints.
Source: middleeasteye.net
