The Israeli army said it was conducting a “routine activity” to detain two “wanted suspects” in Jenin, in the West Bank, when an armored vehicle was hit by a “very unusual and dramatic” explosion. With eight Israeli police and military wounded, the army resorted to using an Apache helicopter firing missiles into an open field in support of personnel who would be cornered — another seven vehicles were knocked out in the firefight. In the end, five Palestinians were killed.
This was the first time since 2002, at the height of the Second Intifada (insurgency), that helicopters fired missiles at Jenin. According to the newspaper hairetzIn recent years, the Israeli military has avoided using this combat equipment in these operations for fear of escalating the conflict and harming civilians. Of the five Palestinians who died, three were identified as Islamic Jihad militants. One of the civilians was a 15-year-old boy. At least 91 people were injured, 23 of whom were in serious condition.
An Islamic Jihad official, which has a strong presence in the area along with Hamas, said, quoted by Reuters, that the use of the helicopter “will lead our fighters to use tools that will surprise the enemy”. The militants shot down the helicopter, but it remained operational and managed to land safely.
Israel, meanwhile, is investigating what device was used to attack and damage the armored vehicle, but has rejected the notion that Palestinian militants may have had access to a new weapon supplied by Hezbollah or from another outside power, the ministry said. Israeli government. Jerusalem Post. The Israeli army, meanwhile, will be under pressure to organize a large-scale military operation on the ground.
“The time has come to replace the one-off activity with a broader operation to eradicate the terrorist nests in Northern Samaria and restore deterrence and security to the region”said Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, one of the far-right representatives in Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. “The time has come to deploy air forces and armored vehicles to protect the lives of our warriors,” he added, saying he would call for an urgent cabinet meeting to discuss the matter.
United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Norwegian Tor Wennesland, said situations like this in Jenin risk plunging the region into a deadly crisis, arguing that both sides need to redeploy for a political path. The Arab League condemned the escalation of the situation. “This aggression against Jenin is an escalation of Israeli aggression and open warfare by the occupation authorities against the Palestinian people and their territory.” denounced Arab League Deputy Secretary for Palestinian Affairs Saied Abu Ali.
The European Union also condemned the killing of civilians. “Military operations must be proportionate and in accordance with international humanitarian law”, warned in a statement European diplomacy spokesman Peter Stano, who also warned that the 27 are “concerned by Israel’s announced plans to proceed with the establishment of more than 4,000 settlements” in the West Bank by the end of the month: “The EU urges Israel not to continue with this.”
Source: DN
