Israeli forces operating in the occupied West Bank on Monday, conducted a raid that resulted in the death of five Palestinians, one of whom was a militant. The operation also led to seven Israeli security personnel sustaining injuries, and notably, rare helicopter fire was employed.
Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank killed five Palestinians including a militant on Monday, in a raid that saw seven Israeli security personnel wounded and rare helicopter fire.
The Palestinian health ministry said five people had been killed and at least 91 others were wounded in the violence.
The Israeli army said an armored vehicle had been hit by a “very unusual and dramatic” explosive device at around 7:10 am (0410 GMT), during “routine activity” to arrest two “wanted suspects” — one affiliated with Islamist movement Hamas and the other with the Islamic Jihad.
The army said that an Apache helicopter had fired missiles in support of the soldiers, a rare move in the West Bank.
A Palestinian intelligence official stated to the media on condition of anonymity it was the first time since 2002, during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, that the Israeli army has fired missiles from an aircraft during a raid in Jenin.
Violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has escalated over the past year, specially after the hard-right government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took power in December.
Palestinian health minister Mai al-Kaila called in a statement for the “urgent” dispatch of blood and medical supplies to Jenin.
He called for the Palestinian leadership to take “unprecedented decisions” without elaborating.
Jenin and its adjacent refugee camp, which was besieged by the army in 2002 and saw deadly fighting, have frequently been the site of violent clashes between Israel and the Palestinians.
Khalil Wakim, with AFP
