Israel has destroyed a number of buildings within the occupied West Financial institution’s Jenin refugee camp, hours after its forces killed a 73-year-old man, the Palestinian Ministry of Well being stated.
Not less than 20 houses have been destroyed within the assault on Sunday, in blasts so highly effective they have been heard throughout Jenin and in surrounding cities, Palestinian information company Wafa reported.
Al Jazeera Arabic correspondents added that the explosions blew up a residential block within the camp’s ad-Damj neighbourhood.
The Israeli navy confirmed the assault, saying it had destroyed “a number of buildings” in Jenin that “have been used as terrorist infrastructure”, with out offering proof. It added that it had killed 50 Palestinian fighters within the West Financial institution since mid-January.
In a separate incident in Arroub, within the southern West Financial institution, the Israeli military killed a 27-year-old man, named as Mohammed Amjad Hadoush, the Palestinian Well being Ministry and the Palestinian Crimson Crescent stated.
The Israeli navy launched a main offensive within the occupied West Financial institution final month, dubbed “Iron Wall”, centered totally on attacking Palestinian armed teams from the Jenin space, simply after it started a ceasefire with the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza on January 19.
Sunday’s explosions mark an escalation as Israel more and more commits unrestrained assaults on Palestinian infrastructure.
“The sounds are horrific,” Jenin resident Henna al-Haj Hassan advised Al Jazeera through telephone concerning the explosions.
Hassan stated she and different Jenin residents have confronted ongoing assaults for 2 weeks. She added {that a} curfew was in place, with retailers and different companies closed.
The director of Jenin Authorities Hospital, Wisam Baker, advised Wafa some sections of the hospital have been broken as a result of explosions, however no casualties have been reported.
Many households at the moment are displaced as a result of demolitions, the information company stated.
Ahmed Tobasi, one other Jenin resident, stated the homes within the Jenin camp “usually are not actually livable any extra” on account of Israel destroying infrastructure.
“The Israeli military doesn’t want any excuse to destroy our homes and displace us,” the lifelong Jenin resident advised Al Jazeera.
“This can be a very lengthy, outdated plan by the Israeli military, particularly for the [refugee] camps, as a result of they need to kill and make the Palestinian case die.”
He added: “So it’s not about terrorism; that is regular residences, individuals who dwell – and if you speak about one home, it’s probably not one household dwelling there. In Jenin camp, you discover one home with three to 4 households.”
Aged man killed
The explosions occurred shortly after a 73-year-old man was killed by Israeli gunfire in Jenin’s refugee camp, the Palestinian Well being Ministry stated on Sunday, the newest casualty of Israel’s swooping raids.
“The Israeli military has arrange a number of roadblocks and different checkpoints throughout the occupied West Financial institution and there have been at the least 27 Palestinians who’ve been killed,” Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut stated.
“Lots of them are civilians, together with a two-year-old lady who was shot within the head whereas consuming dinner at house together with her household, and a 73-year-old aged man shot by Israeli forces this morning.”
Witnesses reported a big deployment of Israeli forces on Sunday morning across the cities of Tubas and Tammun, southeast of Jenin.
The military stated early on Sunday {that a} “tactical group” had begun operations round Tammun and had uncovered weapons.
It added it was extending the “counterterrorism” operation to 5 villages.
It additionally distributed leaflets in Arabic saying the operation was meant to “eradicate armed criminals, the lackeys of Iran”.
The Israeli authorities accuses Iran, which backs armed teams throughout the Center East together with Hamas in Gaza, of making an attempt to ship weapons and cash to armed Palestinian teams within the occupied West Financial institution.
Israel’s Jenin operation has additionally forcibly displaced some 15,000 Palestinians.
Settlers storm cemetery, mosque
Additionally on Sunday, Israeli settlers stormed a cemetery in Silwan city, south of the Outdated Metropolis in occupied East Jerusalem, beneath the safety of the Israeli military, in line with Wafa.
Native sources quoted by the Palestinian information company stated the settlers reduce the fence that the townspeople had positioned across the cemetery and took management of it.
In the meantime, Palestinian retailers reported that in a single day, a mosque within the Bedouin village of Arab al-Mleihat, northwest of Jericho, was set on hearth by Israeli settlers.
The Palestinian Ministry of International Affairs condemned the assaults.
Violence by Israeli settlers and troopers towards Palestinians has surged throughout the occupied West Financial institution because the Gaza conflict broke out in 2023.
Troopers or settlers have killed at the least 882 Palestinians because the begin of the conflict, in line with the Palestinian Well being Ministry.
The settlements are unlawful beneath worldwide regulation however proceed to broaden throughout the occupied West Financial institution and East Jerusalem with the total assist of the Israeli authorities.
