Palestinians say 3 killed in IDF raid on Jenin; helicopter conducts strikes
Army says it killed several gunmen while carrying out arrest operation in northern West Bank city; helicopter gunship used to provide cover for troops on ground
Israeli forces killed three Palestinians and wounded at least 13 others in a raid on the northern West Bank city of Jenin Thursday, the Palestinian Health Ministry and medics said.
The Israel Defense Forces said troops killed several gunmen and detained a wanted Palestinian suspect during the raid.
During the operation, an Israeli Air Force attack helicopter carried out strikes in support of ground forces who came under fire by Palestinian gunmen, the army said. The IDF has carried out numerous airstrikes with helicopters and drones in the West Bank over the past year, and in rare cases, also used fighter jets.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said it was treating at least six people who were shot, four who sustained shrapnel wounds and one person who was run over by a military jeep. It alleged its teams were fired at while recovering some of the dead.
The official Palestinian Wafa news outlet named the three fatalities as Ibrahim al-Saadi, 21, Issa Jallad, 17, and Uday Mara’i, 24. On social media, Mara’i was identified as a member of a local terror group.
The army said the wanted Palestinian man, who was not named, was handed over to the Shin Bet for questioning. It said he was suspected of involvement in terror activity.
https://twitter.com/khalidalmaktari/status/1798750575166726474
According to Wafa, two people were arrested during the raid.
Jenin, in the far northern West Bank, has been a focal point of raids by the Israeli military, which says the area has become a hotbed for terror groups seeking to attack Israelis.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking at the end of a security assessment on the West Bank on Thursday, said that while Israel was facing “complicated international pressure” it was determined to change the security reality in the area.
“Israel is engaged in a difficult battle on many fronts. We are fighting in the south, we are fighting in the north, we are also fighting in Judea and Samaria,” he said, using the biblical name for the West Bank.
Israeli occupation Apache helicopters are firing high-caliber rounds toward Palestinians amidst the ongoing Israeli raid of the Jenin refugee camp, north of the West Bank. pic.twitter.com/YHSYh4nezg
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) June 6, 2024
More than 520 West Bank Palestinians have been killed since the October 7 start of the Israel-Hamas war, according to the Palestinian Authority health ministry. Israel says most of those killed died during violent clashes between troops and Palestinians.
In that time, troops have arrested some 4,150 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 1,750 affiliated with Hamas, according to Israeli figures.
Since October 7, troops have arrested some 4,000 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 1,700 affiliated with Hamas.
In late May, troops conducted a nearly two-day raid in the city to demolish the home of a terrorist involved in the killing of Israeli civilian Meir Tamari in a shooting attack near the settlement of Hermesh in May 2023. Palestinians reported that 12 people were killed during the raid.
AP reported that eight of the dead were claimed by Hamas and other terror groups as their gunmen.
On May 17, a rare Israeli airstrike in Jenin targeted a command room belonging to a local terror network and killed another terrorist involved in the murder of Tamari, according to the military.
The Times of Israel Community.