At least 10 Palestinians were killed and 20 others injured in a raid by Israeli forces in the city of Jenin and a refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.
Intense fighting was reported in the camp on Thursday, with black smoke rising above the town amid multiple explosions and gunfire.
“Every now and then you can hear gunshots, there are explosions and you can listen to an Israeli military drone overhead,” Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith reported from Jenin.
“It all started early in the morning (Thursday) with a raid on the camp. This is nothing unusual: raids are a reality in the occupied West Bank, particularly here in Jenin. But we are told that the army arrived and left behind the special forces who were searching for Palestinian fighters.
“Once they were spotted, special forces called for backup, and this major shootout has been going on ever since,” Smith said.
The Israeli military said it was carrying out “anti-terrorism” raids in Jenin, but gave no further details.
“The Israeli army will always say that it is targeting what it calls ‘Palestinian terrorists,’ and that is the purpose of these raids. But since October 7, they have intensified their operations,” our correspondent said. “Although they occur throughout the occupied West Bank, most of them are here in Jenin.”
