Three Palestinians killed in Israeli West Bank raid
An Israeli operation aimed at arresting a militant caused three deaths and injuries of 14 Palestinian civilians
A Palestinian man kisses the body of Hamza Abu Al-Heja, 20, a member of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement. Photo: AFP
JENIN (PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES):
Three Palestinians were killed in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank early on Saturday after Israeli soldiers launched an operation to arrest a militant, Palestinian officials said.
Medical and security sources said that two of the fatalities were militants and the third was a civilian. They said 14 Palestinians were also wounded, with two reported to be in critical condition.
The Israeli army confirmed the incident, but said that a total of four Palestinians were killed.
The Palestinian sources said Israeli soldiers entered the camp in the northern West Bank city to arrest Hamza Abu Alheja, 20, a member of the military wing of Hamas, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades.
Fire was exchanged, and "other gunmen gathered around the house" to help Alheja, including Mohammad Abu Zena, 19, an Islamic Jihad militant who was killed along with Alheja, the medical and security sources said.
A civilian named as Yazan Jabarin was also killed during the fighting, the Palestinians said, and announced a day of mourning and a commercial strike in Jenin.
The Israeli military said its forces had been attempting to arrest Alheja, who was wanted for "shooting and bombing attacks as well as planning future attacks".
Alheja "barricaded himself with other operatives in his house", a statement read, before opening fire and wounding two Israeli security personnel who "responded with fire, killing the terrorist".
The army said that after Alheja was killed, a "violent riot" ensued at the scene, during which three further Palestinians were killed.
Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon said in a statement the incident "saved lives" since it "thwarted a terror attack that had already been planned and was supposed to target Israelis".
- 'Let the resistance act' -
Palestinian Islamist movements Hamas and Islamic Jihad both slammed the Palestinian Authority of President Mahmud Abbas's rival Fatah movement for its security coordination with Israel.
A spokesman for Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, called the Jenin incident a "crime" that "shamed" the PA.
"We call on the (PA) security forces to end security coordination with the Israeli occupation and leave the resistance to act freely,” Sami Abu Zuhri said in a statement.
The Islamic Jihad group said in a statement issued from Gaza that the Jenin killings demonstrated that "resistance continues", and condemned the Israelis and the PA for its security coordination with Israel.
"The Palestinian people cannot tolerate this -- the West Bank is boiling over because of the crimes of the Zionists," senior Islamic Jihad official Nafez Azzem said in a statement.
"The United States and Israel want to force the Palestinians and the entire region to surrender, but Gaza and the West Bank resist this," Azzem said.
A spokesman for Abbas condemned the "continuing escalation against the Palestinian people" and blamed Israel for it.
"We call on the US administration to move quickly to prevent a general collapse in the region," Nabil Abu Rudeina said.
On Thursday, he said US-sponsored peace talks with Israel have reached an impasse because of Jewish settlement activity, after plans for more than 2,000 new West Bank homes were moved forward.
Israeli-Palestinian peace talks are teetering on the brink of collapse, with Washington fighting an uphill battle to get the two sides to agree to a framework proposal to extend the negotiations to the year's end after an April 29 deadline.
The violence in the West Bank came as Palestinians in Gaza prepared to mark the tenth anniversary of the killing of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, spiritual leader of Hamas, in an Israeli air strike.
Three Palestinians were killed in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank early on Saturday after Israeli soldiers launched an operation to arrest a militant, Palestinian officials said.
Medical and security sources said that two of the fatalities were militants and the third was a civilian. They said 14 Palestinians were also wounded, with two reported to be in critical condition.
The Israeli army confirmed the incident, but said that a total of four Palestinians were killed.
The Palestinian sources said Israeli soldiers entered the camp in the northern West Bank city to arrest Hamza Abu Alheja, 20, a member of the military wing of Hamas, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades.
Fire was exchanged, and "other gunmen gathered around the house" to help Alheja, including Mohammad Abu Zena, 19, an Islamic Jihad militant who was killed along with Alheja, the medical and security sources said.
A civilian named as Yazan Jabarin was also killed during the fighting, the Palestinians said, and announced a day of mourning and a commercial strike in Jenin.
The Israeli military said its forces had been attempting to arrest Alheja, who was wanted for "shooting and bombing attacks as well as planning future attacks".
Alheja "barricaded himself with other operatives in his house", a statement read, before opening fire and wounding two Israeli security personnel who "responded with fire, killing the terrorist".
The army said that after Alheja was killed, a "violent riot" ensued at the scene, during which three further Palestinians were killed.
Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon said in a statement the incident "saved lives" since it "thwarted a terror attack that had already been planned and was supposed to target Israelis".
- 'Let the resistance act' -
Palestinian Islamist movements Hamas and Islamic Jihad both slammed the Palestinian Authority of President Mahmud Abbas's rival Fatah movement for its security coordination with Israel.
A spokesman for Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, called the Jenin incident a "crime" that "shamed" the PA.
"We call on the (PA) security forces to end security coordination with the Israeli occupation and leave the resistance to act freely,” Sami Abu Zuhri said in a statement.
The Islamic Jihad group said in a statement issued from Gaza that the Jenin killings demonstrated that "resistance continues", and condemned the Israelis and the PA for its security coordination with Israel.
"The Palestinian people cannot tolerate this -- the West Bank is boiling over because of the crimes of the Zionists," senior Islamic Jihad official Nafez Azzem said in a statement.
"The United States and Israel want to force the Palestinians and the entire region to surrender, but Gaza and the West Bank resist this," Azzem said.
A spokesman for Abbas condemned the "continuing escalation against the Palestinian people" and blamed Israel for it.
"We call on the US administration to move quickly to prevent a general collapse in the region," Nabil Abu Rudeina said.
On Thursday, he said US-sponsored peace talks with Israel have reached an impasse because of Jewish settlement activity, after plans for more than 2,000 new West Bank homes were moved forward.
Israeli-Palestinian peace talks are teetering on the brink of collapse, with Washington fighting an uphill battle to get the two sides to agree to a framework proposal to extend the negotiations to the year's end after an April 29 deadline.
The violence in the West Bank came as Palestinians in Gaza prepared to mark the tenth anniversary of the killing of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, spiritual leader of Hamas, in an Israeli air strike.