A member of the Palestinian Authority was killed after fierce clashes in Jenin [Getty]
A Palestinian security officer was killed on Thursday night during intense clashes between Palestinian Authority (PA) forces and fighters in the Jenin refugee camp.
Lieutenant Ibrahim Jumaa al-Qaddoumi, a member of the Palestinian Preventive Security Service, was reportedly burned alive in an attack. PA spokesman Anwar Rajab accused fighters of throwing Molotov cocktails at the security officers.
Jenin refugee camp, in the northern occupied West Bank, is a stronghold of Palestinian armed groups and has been at the centre of violent confrontations for weeks, following the PA’s intensified security operations.
Armed security personnel and armoured vehicles have been patrolling the Jenin camp area since early this month, and have arrested several Palestinians affiliated with the Jenin Brigades, which is linked to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) group and other factions, leading to clashes with them.
At least three people have been killed since, including one child, Palestinian media said.
The armed groups in Jenin have been clashing with Israeli forces for years, during frequent Israeli raids on the city. Israel has endorsed the PA’s security operation.
These operations began in early December, with the PA imposing a siege on the camp and conducting raids on homes.
The PA launched a deadly raid on December 14, in which PA forces killed Yazid Ja’ayseh, a prominent commander in the Jenin Brigades.
Security forces have reportedly transformed several houses into military barracks, expelling residents and deploying snipers in strategic positions.
Local groups have strongly opposed the security crackdown, accusing the PA of targeting armed factions to assert control over the area, which has long been a stronghold of resistance to Israel.
MP Shami al-Shami, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and Fatah’s Revolutionary Council, condemned a late-night raid on his home, which resulted in the arrest of his son, Amr al-Shami.
He described the operation as “barbaric” and claimed that the security forces violated legal and ethical protocols by arresting his son without a warrant.
Al-Shami also denied accusations that his son was involved in the recent killing of a security officer, asserting that the charges were “false” and based on “no legal evidence”.
The ongoing conflict in Jenin has raised the alarm among Palestinian civil society organisations and political factions, with some warning that the violence could spread to other areas in the West Bank.
In August, Israeli forces laid siege to the camp for 10 days, killing dozens of Palestinians.
Since the siege, protests have erupted in Jenin and other Palestinian cities, with demonstrators voicing their support for the fighters and condemning the PA’s security policies.
