Six Palestinians killed by Israeli military in three separate incidents over 24 hours

By Kareem Khadder, Hadas Gold and Ibrahim Dahman, CNN

Jerusalem and Gaza (CNN) — Six Palestinians have been killed and dozens injured by Israeli military fire in three separate incidents across the occupied West Bank and Gaza over the past 24 hours, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in both areas said.

Four people were killed and more than 30 injured as a result of a Tuesday evening Israeli military incursion into the Jenin refugee camp, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the West Bank said.

A resident in the camp speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons told CNN Tuesday that a “fierce gun battle between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants in the camp” erupted after “an undercover Israeli special force was discovered Tuesday evening inside the alleys of Jenin camp.”

Electricity to much of the camp was knocked out for some time, the resident added.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement security forces entered the camp for “counterterrorism activity” and “armed gunmen opened fire” at them.

“The forces responded with live fire, hits were identified,” the IDF said.

Additionally, the IDF said “a loitering munition [drone] operated by the IDF units on the ground struck a number of additional assailants who endangered the forces,” and that “during the forces’ exit from the city of Jenin, an IED exploded under an IDF vehicle, security forces operated to rescue the vehicle.”

“During the rescue, gunmen fired at forces, hits were identified on the rescue vehicles and no IDF injuries were reported,” the IDF added.

Videos obtained by CNN Tuesday evening showed the sounds of heavy gun fire inside the Jenin camp and one video appeared to show a mosque minaret in the camp taking direct fire.

Separately on Wednesday morning, one Palestinian man was killed during an Israeli military Incursion in the Aqabat Jaber refugee camp in Jericho.

A joint statement from the Israeli security forces said soldiers went into several villages across the West Bank to apprehend “ten wanted suspects.

“During the activity in the Aqabat Jaber Camp, suspects hurled explosive devices at the forces, who responded with live fire toward one of the suspects and neutralized him,” the statement said.

Separately in Gaza, on Tuesday afternoon, one Palestinian man was killed and several others injured by Israeli fire across the Gaza border fence during regular protests being held along the border for the past week, where demonstrators throw explosive devices, burn tires, and sometimes shoot weapons at Israeli forces on the other side.

A statement from the IDF said, “hundreds of rioters gathered in a violent riot adjacent to the security fence in the Gaza Strip…a number of explosive devices were activated by the rioters.”

“IDF soldiers operated in the area with riot dispersal means and sniper fire. Several hits were identified,” the IDF said.

It is the first such fatality by Israeli forces during the almost daily confrontations along the separation fence between Israel and Gaza since they began a week ago. Last week, five Palestinians were killed when an explosive device used by the demonstrators exploded on the Gaza side of the fence.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the killing of the six men as “crimes of the occupation and extrajudicial killings,” referring to Israel.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the spokesman for the Palestinian Authority presidency, called on the US administration to intervene.

“The US administration must be well aware that the region is on the verge of an explosion as a result of the Israeli persistence in killing, destruction, and theft of land, and the American administration must intervene immediately to stop this Israeli madness before the explosion happens, for which everyone will pay the price,” he said.

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