Ramallah, occupied West Bank – Israeli forces have killed three Palestinians in a raid in Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank, less than 48 hours after six others were killed in another raid on the city.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said the three men shot dead on Thursday morning were identified as Ahmad Fashafsheh, 22, Sufian Fakhouri, 26, and Nayef Malaysheh, 25.
A fourth person – 14-year-old Walid Nassar – also died on Thursday from injuries he suffered after he was shot by the Israeli military on Tuesday, according to the health ministry.
Fashafsheh, Fakhouri and Malaysheh were shot dead inside a car in the village of Jaba, south of Jenin, in what has been described by Palestinians as an “execution”.
Israeli special forces, including undercover units in civilian clothing, raided Jaba at 6am (04:00 GMT).
Local media outlets reported that an exchange of fire between Palestinian fighters and Israeli forces ensued.
Israeli authorities said in a statement that the operation, which involved border police, the army and the intelligence, was intended “to arrest wanted persons on the basis of several shooting operations” targeting the Israeli army.
“During the operation, shots were fired at the [Israeli] forces from the car of the wanted persons, after which we responded and killed three armed men who were in the car,” the statement said, claiming that weapons were found in the car.
Al Jazeera’s Jerusalem bureau chief, Walid al-Omari, said that the three Palestinians killed in the raid were fighters from the Jaba Brigades, affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Images shared by journalists and residents showed the car almost destroyed, with its roof peeled off and windows shattered.
Jawad Khaliliyeh, the Fatah party’s secretary in Jaba, told the official Palestinian news agency Wafa that Israeli forces fired at the car “from point-blank range” and added that the army also surrounded a house and arrested the man who was in it.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) also critcised the raid.
“They [the Israelis] are the blind force that spreads terror and intimidation to discourage our people from continuing the struggle, which has not and will not stop, no matter the sacrifices,” said PA spokesperson Ibrahim Melhem.
On Tuesday, Israeli forces carried out a large-scale raid on the Jenin refugee camp, killing six men and injuring 26 others with live ammunition, including at least two who remain in critical condition.
A general strike swept across the West Bank on Wednesday in protest against the killings.
Israeli forces and settlers have killed 78 Palestinians since the start of 2023, including 14 children and a woman.
Thirteen Israelis and one Ukrainian have also been killed in Palestinian attacks this year.
