- Use of aircraft for the first time in the West Bank
- At least 45 Palestinians were injured
- Help was sent to rescue the trapped employees
Four Palestinians, including a minor, were killed when Israeli soldiers opened fire during fierce clashes with extremists on the streets of the West Bank city of Jenin. Israel’s air force was used during the conflict, which is rare. During the clash, Palestinian militants detonated an explosive device near an Israeli military vehicle. At least 45 Palestinians have been injured during the clashes, five of them seriously. At the same time, Israel’s army said that seven paramilitary border police and army soldiers were injured.
Help was sent to rescue the trapped employees
Incidents of violence have been reported almost daily in the West Bank for more than a year. The Israeli army said soldiers were fired upon during a raid in Jenin and that they returned fire at Palestinian gunmen. “When the security forces left the city, a military vehicle hit an explosive device that damaged it,” the army said, adding that “helicopters returned fire on the gunmen to help the troops evacuate.” Israeli army spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said hours after the initial gunfire, troops were sent to rescue personnel trapped in five damaged vehicles.
Use of aircraft for the first time in the West Bank
Hecht said the incidents of roadside bombs planted by extremists in the West Bank were “very unusual and dramatic”. He said it could affect future military strategy. Another video surfaced online shows an Israeli military helicopter firing a rocket. The Israeli military rarely uses aircraft in operations in the West Bank. According to Israeli media, the aircraft has been used in the West Bank of Palestine for the first time since the beginning of the year 2000.
Five others were seriously injured in the crossfire
The Palestinian Health Ministry identified those killed in the clashes as Khaled Asasa (21), Qasm Abu Saria (29), Ques Jabarin (21) and Ahmed Saqr (15), while five others were seriously injured in the crossfire. Senior Palestinian official Hussein al-Sheikh accused Israel of waging war on the Palestinian people and said President Mahmoud Abbas could take an “unprecedented decision” at an upcoming emergency meeting. Egypt’s foreign ministry also condemned the violence, saying it would worsen the situation.
