June 19, 2023, 8:13 AM
June 19, 2023, 8:13 AM
At least three Palestinians died and thirty were injured on Monday in Jenin, in the northern West Bank, following clashes over an Israeli military operation that included missile fire from a helicopter.
With Sami Boukhelifa, RFI correspondent in Jerusalem
Israeli forces entered the Palestinian city of Jenin at 10:45 a.m. local time to arrest “two wanted suspects.” But when they withdrew, they were met by Palestinian armed groups. Unusually for the occupied West Bank, the Israeli army turned to its combat aviation.
An Israeli army Apache helicopter carried out an airstrike. This happens regularly in Gaza, but almost never in the Palestinian territories of the occupied West Bank. According to local media, the last bombardment of this type dates back to the second Intifada, some twenty years ago.
The objective of this air attack was to open a breach to allow the withdrawal of the soldiers. On the ground, Israeli forces were ambushed. They received heavy fire. “Several explosive devices were thrown in the direction of the Israeli troops,” the army said in a statement. “An armored vehicle was also hit.”
The use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) has become more frequent.
As always in the Jenin region, this Israeli incursion took place in a densely populated urban area. The main victims were civilians. Almost every quarter of an hour since this morning, the Palestinian hospitals update their reports: dead, wounded and more wounded, who arrive with gunshot wounds.
Ahmed Saqer, 15, Khaled Assassa, 21, and Qassam Abu Saria, 29, died during the operation, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, adding that 31 people were injured, some hit by live bullets.
