Israel has destroyed a number of buildings within the occupied West Financial institution’s Jenin refugee camp, hours after its forces killed a 73-year-old man, the Palestinian Ministry of Well being mentioned.
A spokesperson for the Israeli military mentioned 23 buildings have been destroyed on Sunday in Jenin “to stop terrorist infrastructure from being established there”. The navy additionally mentioned it had killed 50 Palestinian fighters within the West Financial institution since mid-January.
Al Jazeera Arabic correspondents mentioned the explosions blew up a residential block within the camp’s ad-Damj neighbourhood.
Palestinian information company Wafa reported that the blasts have been so highly effective they have been heard throughout town and in surrounding cities.
The Palestinian overseas ministry condemned the navy’s destruction of buildings in Jenin, describing it as a “brutal scene”.
President Mahmoud Abbas requested an pressing session of the UN Safety Council to cease the destruction of total residential blocks within the Jenin and Tulkarm camps.
In a separate incident in Arroub, within the southern West Financial institution, the Israeli military killed a 27-year-old man, named as Mohammed Amjad Hadoush, the Palestinian Well being Ministry and the Palestinian Crimson Crescent mentioned.
The Israeli navy launched a main offensive within the occupied West Financial institution final month, dubbed “Iron Wall”, targeted totally on attacking Palestinian armed teams from the Jenin space, simply after it started a ceasefire with the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza on January 19.
Sunday’s explosions mark an escalation as Israel more and more commits unrestrained assaults on Palestinian infrastructure.
“The sounds are horrific,” Jenin resident Henna al-Haj Hassan instructed Al Jazeera by way of telephone concerning the explosions.
Hassan mentioned she and different Jenin residents have confronted ongoing assaults for 2 weeks. She added {that a} curfew was in place, with outlets and different companies closed.
The director of Jenin Authorities Hospital, Wisam Baker, instructed Wafa some sections of the hospital have been broken as a result of explosions, however no casualties have been reported.
Many households at the moment are displaced as a result of demolitions, the information company mentioned.
Ahmed Tobasi, one other Jenin resident, mentioned the homes within the Jenin camp “usually are not actually livable any extra” attributable to Israel destroying infrastructure.
“The Israeli military doesn’t want any excuse to destroy our homes and displace us,” the lifelong Jenin resident instructed Al Jazeera.
“This can be a very lengthy, outdated plan by the Israeli military, particularly for the [refugee] camps, as a result of they wish to kill and make the Palestinian case die.”
He added: “So it’s not about terrorism; that is regular residences, individuals who stay – and whenever you speak about one home, it’s probably not one household dwelling there. In Jenin camp, you discover one home with three to 4 households.”
Aged man killed
The explosions occurred shortly after a 73-year-old man was killed by Israeli gunfire in Jenin’s refugee camp, the Palestinian Well being Ministry mentioned on Sunday, the most recent casualty of Israel’s swooping raids.
“The Israeli military has arrange a number of roadblocks and different checkpoints throughout the occupied West Financial institution and there have been a minimum of 27 Palestinians who’ve been killed,” Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut mentioned.
“A lot of them are civilians, together with a two-year-old woman who was shot within the head whereas consuming dinner at dwelling together with her household, and a 73-year-old aged man shot by Israeli forces this morning.”
Witnesses reported a big deployment of Israeli forces on Sunday morning across the cities of Tubas and Tammun, southeast of Jenin.
The military mentioned early on Sunday {that a} “tactical group” had begun operations round Tammun and had uncovered weapons.
It added it was extending the “counterterrorism” operation to 5 villages.
It additionally distributed leaflets in Arabic saying the operation was meant to “eradicate armed criminals, the lackeys of Iran”.
The Israeli authorities accuses Iran, which backs armed teams throughout the Center East together with Hamas in Gaza, of making an attempt to ship weapons and cash to armed Palestinian teams within the occupied West Financial institution.
Israel’s Jenin operation has additionally forcibly displaced some 15,000 Palestinians.
Settlers storm cemetery, mosque
Additionally on Sunday, Israeli settlers stormed a cemetery in Silwan city, south of the Outdated Metropolis in occupied East Jerusalem, underneath the safety of the Israeli military, in line with Wafa.
Native sources quoted by the Palestinian information company mentioned the settlers minimize the fence that the townspeople had positioned across the cemetery and took management of it.
In the meantime, Palestinian shops reported that in a single day, a mosque within the Bedouin village of Arab al-Mleihat, northwest of Jericho, was set on hearth by Israeli settlers.
The Palestinian Ministry of Overseas Affairs condemned the assaults.
Violence by Israeli settlers and troopers in opposition to Palestinians has surged throughout the occupied West Financial institution because the Gaza battle broke out in 2023.
Troopers or settlers have killed a minimum of 882 Palestinians because the begin of the battle, in line with the Palestinian Well being Ministry.
The settlements are unlawful underneath worldwide legislation however proceed to broaden throughout the occupied West Financial institution and East Jerusalem with the total help of the Israeli authorities.
