Clashes escalate between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants in Jenin

2023-06-19 18:59:04, Kosova & Bota CNA

JERUSALEM (AP) - Israeli helicopters struck targets Monday in the occupied West Bank, while a gun battle in the city of Jenin between Israeli troops and militants killed four Palestinians, including a 15-year-old boy, officials said.

The violence marks a rare use of Israeli air power in the territory. During the clashes, Palestinian militants detonated a roadside bomb near an Israeli military vehicle. At least 45 Palestinians were injured, five seriously. The Israeli military said seven members of the border police and army suffered minor injuries.

The escalation was the latest incident in more than a year of near-daily violence that has ravaged the West Bank. The Israeli military said troops came under a "massive exchange of fire" during an arrest raid in Jenin and fired on armed Palestinians.

"As security forces exited the city, a military vehicle was hit by an IED, damaging the vehicle," the military said. Israeli, adding that the helicopters "opened fire on the gunmen to help evacuate the forces".

Israeli army spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said the army sent additional troops to evacuate troops trapped by heavy fire for hours in five disabled army vehicles, describing it as an "evacuation" operation.

Later, the military said the bodies had been successfully extracted.

The militants' use of a roadside bomb in the West Bank was "very unusual and dramatic," Lt. Col. Hecht said, adding that it could affect future military strategy in the territory.

Unconfirmed amateur footage from Jenin appears to show a roadside explosive aimed at an Israeli armored vehicle. Another video posted online appears to show an Israeli military helicopter firing a missile during the ongoing army operation.

The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the dead as Khaled Asasa, 21, Qassam Abu Sariya, 29, Qais Jabarin, 21, and 15-year-old Ahmed Saqr, and said at least five others remained in critical condition after being wounded in exchange of fire.

Hussein al-Sheikh, a senior Palestinian official, accused Israel of "a harsh and open war" against the Palestinian people and said President Mahmoud Abbas would take "unprecedented decisions" at an upcoming emergency meeting.

Egypt's foreign ministry condemned what it called Israel's "continued escalation against the Palestinians", saying it only further inflames the situation and undermines efforts to reduce regional tensions.

Israel and the Palestinians have been gripped by violence for months, mostly centered in the West Bank, where some 124 Palestinians have been killed this year. The city of Jenin has been the home of Palestinian militants.

Israel occupied the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East war, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. The Palestinians claim those territories for a future independent state.

Israel has staged almost nightly raids in the West Bank in response to an outbreak of Palestinian violence early last year. Palestinian attacks against Israelis have increased during this time.

Palestinian attacks against Israelis have killed at least 20 people this year./ VOA