Escalation between Hamas, Israel after ‘massacre’ in Jenin

Tensions between Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and the Israeli occupying forces have escalated after nine Palestinians, including an elderly woman, were killed by Israeli forces in the city of Jenin, northern West Bank, on Thursday, while a Palestinian youth was also killed by the occupation forces near Jerusalem. 

On Thursday morning, large forces of the Israeli occupation army stormed the city of Jenin and its camp and cut off the electricity completely, reported the Palestinian embassy in Cairo, noting that the Israeli forces prevented ambulance crews from entering Jenin and dozens of others were injured, besides attacking the Jenin hospital and demolishing other facilities. 

The total number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces since the beginning of 2023 has risen to 30, the Palestinian presidency said.

Meanwhile, injuries of suffocation in clashes with the occupation west of Bethlehem were reported Thursday evening after the situation escalated.

The Palestinian Hamas movement and Israeli forces exchanged rocket fire on each other. Hamas shelled Ashkelon in southern Israel, while the occupation forces fired rockets on the Gaza Strip.

Furthermore, Israeli forces are on alert in the vicinity of Jerusalem in anticipation of possible tensions after the Friday prayer.

Palestine ends security cooperation

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced a three-day mourning, saying, “Israel commits a massacre in the Jenin camp amid international silence.” He also ordered that flags be flown at half-mast.

He also decided to immediately end security coordination with Israel, said presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh, adding that “the PA [Palestinian Authority] will ask the United Nations Security Council to implement the decision to provide protection to the Palestinian people under Chapter VII.”

Abbas’ comments were given in an emergency meeting to discuss the escalation and “plans and policies announced by the extremist Israeli occupation government that it has begun to implement on the ground, including crimes of ethnic cleansing and racial discrimination, continuing attacks on the city of Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian Holy sites, invasion of Al-Aqsa Mosque, intensifying settlement operations, annexing lands, demolishing homes, the detention of the bodies of the martyrs, and the seizure of Palestinian tax funds.”

The PA will urgently go to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to report the massacre committed by the Israeli occupation forces in Jenin to be added to the other files submitted earlier at the ICC.

World condemnation 

The Arab Parliament condemned the Israeli raid and called on the international community to take immediate action to provide international protection for the Palestinian people.

“The Arab Parliament condemns in the strongest terms the bloody incursion into the city and camp of Jenin […] The Arab Parliament holds the far-right government fully responsible for what is happening, which leads to more tension and violence,” the statement read.

It also denounced the international silence regarding what is happening in the Palestinian territories, especially since the new government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to power. “The lack of accountability encouraged the occupation authority to commit more crimes in blatant defiance of international law and international legitimacy,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, the US Department of State described the Israeli raid as a “counterterrorism operation.” 

“We recognize the very real security challenges facing Israel and the Palestinian Authority and condemn terrorist groups planning and carrying out attacks against civilians. We mourn the loss of innocent lives as well as injuries to civilians and are deeply concerned by the cycle of violence in the West Bank. We underscore the urgent need for all parties to de-escalate, prevent further loss of civilian life, and work together to improve the security situation in the West Bank. Palestinians and Israelis equally deserve to live safely and securely,” the State Department said in a statement.

The military escalation coincided with CIA Director Bill Burns’ visit to Israel, Axios reported. Burns is expected to hold meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials to discuss the latest developments between the two sides in Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Also, Egypt, the UAE, and other countries condemned the lasted Israeli raid, warning against the escalation of the situation.