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 mentioned.
No less than 20 properties 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 army 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 Pink Crescent mentioned.
The Israeli army launched a major offensive within the occupied West Financial institution final month, dubbed “Iron Wall”, targeted 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 informed Al Jazeera by way of cellphone concerning the explosions.
Hassan mentioned she and different Jenin residents have confronted ongoing assaults for 2 weeks. She added {that a} curfew was in place, with outlets and different companies closed.
The director of Jenin Authorities Hospital, Wisam Baker, informed Wafa some sections of the hospital have been broken because of the explosions, however no casualties have been reported.
Many households at the moment are displaced because of the demolitions, the information company mentioned.
Ahmed Tobasi, one other Jenin resident, mentioned the homes within the Jenin camp “usually are not actually livable any extra” attributable to Israel destroying infrastructure.
“The Israeli military doesn’t want any excuse to destroy our homes and displace us,” the lifelong Jenin resident informed 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“This can be a very lengthy, outdated plan by the Israeli military, particularly for the [refugee] camps, as a result of they need to kill and make the Palestinian case die.”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 reside – and if you speak about one home, it’s not likely one household residing 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 mentioned 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 very least 27 Palestinians who’ve been killed,” Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut mentioned.
“A lot of them are civilians, together with a two-year-old woman who was shot within the head whereas consuming dinner at dwelling along 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 mentioned 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 response to Wafa.
Native sources quoted by the Palestinian information company mentioned the settlers minimize the fence that the townspeople had positioned across the cemetery and took management of it.
In the meantime, Palestinian shops 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 Overseas Affairs condemned the assaults.
Violence by Israeli settlers and troopers towards Palestinians has surged throughout the occupied West Financial institution because the Gaza war broke out in 2023.
Troopers or settlers have killed at the very least 882 Palestinians because the begin of the battle, in response to the Palestinian Well being Ministry.
The settlements are unlawful beneath worldwide legislation however proceed to increase throughout the occupied West Financial institution and East Jerusalem with the total help of the Israeli authorities.
