Guards attend the funeral of Ibrahim al-Qaddoumi who was killed during armed clashes in Jenin camp, 27 December 2024 [Nasser Ishtayeh/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty]
Three Palestinians have been killed on Friday in Jenin refugee camp during ongoing clashes between the Palestinian Authority (PA) forces and fighters in the Jenin refugee camp.
They include Palestinian intelligence officer Major Rashid Shaqo, Jenin camp resident Mahmoud Hajj al-Jalqamousi and his 14-year old son Qasam.
Mahmoud’s 11-year old daughter was also injured in the gunfire which led to the deaths, according to eyewitnesses.
Brigadier General Anwar Rajab, a spokesman for the Palestinian security forces, said in a press release on Friday morning: “Major Rashid Shaqo, a member of the General Intelligence Service from the city of Nablus, was martyred in an accident in Jenin refugee camp,” without providing further details.
An eyewitness who preferred to remain anonymous told The New Arab’s Arabic-language sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, that al-Jalqamousi was shouting for an ambulance while standing on the roof of his house, after his child had been hit by heavy gunfire coming from the building opposite his home, where security force snipers were stationed.
He was then hit by two bullets, one of which entered his heart and killed him instantly, they said.
As of Friday, 14 Palestinians have been killed during the PA’s ‘Protect the Homeland‘ security operation, which has seen Jenin camp besieged by Palestinian security forces since 6 December.
Confrontations are ongoing in the Jenin refugee camp between the PA’s security forces and fighters from the Jenin Brigades, who are linked to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) group and other Palestinian factions.
Five other members of the Palestinian security forces have lost their lives during the operation, as well as PIJ commander Yazid Ja’ayseh and five other Jenin camp residents, including 21-year old journalist Shatha al-Sabbagh.
PA security forces continue to besiege the camp, and have reportedly commandeered residents’ homes, converting them into military barracks and deploying snipers on top of them.
Meanwhile, Palestinian factions are calling for an end to the PA’s security operation in the camp, and warning that the violence could spread.
The spiralling violence started with a string of arrests carried out by PA forces against residents of the camp affiliated with the PIJ movement.
Following the arrests, members of the Jenin Brigades seized two PA vehicles, which led to further arrests in the camp, which were followed by the siege and ongoing crackdown.
This is an edited translation from our Arabic edition.
