The Israeli army killed two more Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, local media reported, as military operations continue for a third day in the Jenin refugee camp, bringing the death toll to 12 with dozens more wounded.
The Palestinian Hamas group announced the casualties as members of its armed wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, who were killed Wednesday night in the village of Burqin, just west of Jenin, after being surrounded by Israeli troops for hours. The Palestinian health ministry said their bodies were being held by the Israeli army.
Israel’s attacks in Jenin, which has over the years seen frequent deadly incursions, began days after a ceasefire came into effect in the Gaza Strip, ending Israel’s 15-month brutal war on the besieged coastal enclave. Israel’s defence minister on Wednesday said his forces were applying lessons in Jenin learned in Gaza.
Many families have been forced to evacuate from Jenin and the Palestinian Red Crescent is helping them leave safely. Various media reports state the attacks in Jenin have rendered it “nearly uninhabitable”.
Meanwhile, in war-battered Gaza, Palestinians continue to return to their homes and neighbourhoods, which have been turned into rubble by more than a year of Israeli strikes. Aid continues to flow into the starved territory, where food and medicine had become scarce.
