In a rare move, Israeli helicopter gunships attacked the occupied West Bank on Monday, as a gun battle erupted between Israeli troops and militants in the city of Jenin. Three Palestinians, including a 15-year-old boy, were killed, and at least 29 others were wounded, six of whom were severely injured. The Israeli media reported that several Israeli soldiers were also hurt during the clash. The event marked a rare use of Israeli air power in the territory.
According to reports, Palestinian militants detonated a roadside bomb next to an Israeli military vehicle during the clashes. The Israeli military identified the incident as an arrest raid in Jenin, where troops came under fire from Palestinian gunmen. The Israeli forces shot back at the militants, and as they were leaving the city, a military vehicle was hit by an explosive device, damaging the vehicle. The army said that helicopters “opened fire toward the gunmen in order to assist in extraction of the forces.” Unconfirmed amateur videos from Jenin showed a roadside explosive targeting an Israeli armored vehicle, and another video appeared to show an Israeli military helicopter launching a rocket during the ongoing army operation.
The Palestinian Health Ministry identified those killed as Khaled Asasa, 21, Qassam Abu Sariya, 29, and Ahmed Saqr, 15, and said at least six others were seriously wounded in the shootout. Hussein Shekh, a senior Palestinian official, accused Israel of waging “a fierce and open war” against the Palestinian people and said Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas would make “unprecedented decisions” in an upcoming emergency meeting.
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry also condemned Israel’s “continued escalation against the Palestinians,” saying it only further inflamed the situation and undermined efforts to reduce regional tensions. The incident was the latest in more than a year of near-daily violence that has racked the West Bank. Israel and the Palestinians have been gripped by months of violence, mainly focused in the West Bank, where some 120 Palestinians have been killed this year. The city of Jenin has been a hotbed of Palestinian militancy.
Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast War, along with East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. The Palestinians seek those territories for a future independent state. Israel has been staging near-nightly raids in the West Bank in response to a spasm of Palestinian violence early last year. Palestinian attacks against Israelis have surged during that time. Israel says most of the dead have been militants, but stone-throwing youths protesting the incursions and others not involved in confrontations have also been killed. Palestinian attacks against Israelis have killed at least 20 people this year.
In conclusion, the conflict between Israel and Palestine has been ongoing for decades, and the recent events in the West Bank show no signs of slowing down. The use of airpower in the area is rare, and the casualties caused by the raid have only added to the already high death toll in the region. The situation remains tense, and it is uncertain when or if a resolution will be reached.
References
- https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2022-04-16/palestinians-in-jenin-evoke-painful-past-as-violence-flares
- https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2023-02-22/9-palestinians-killed-israel-army-raid-west-bank
- https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2022-09-28/four-palestinians-killed-israeli-raid-jenin-west-bank
- https://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-violence-in-west-bank-commemorates-previous-violence-20130927-story.html
- https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-06-26/palestinian-authority-nizar-banat-killing
- https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2023-01-26/israeli-troops-kill-9-in-west-bank-raid-palestin
- https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2022-05-10/al-jazeera-reporter-killed-during-israeli-raid-in-west-bank
- https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2023-06-19/3-palestinians-killed-israeli-raid-jenin-west-bank
