Palestine: New Israeli attacks and fierce resistance
Armored vehicles in Jenin for the first time in 20 years. Source: DW
Israeli attacks continue on the Palestinian people in the West Bank that began on Monday 19th June. Such a large attack has not been reported in the West Bank for 20 years. The Israeli State is attacking with extreme force, specifically the Jenin refugee camp, where there are six dead and 100 Palestinian people injured. But also seven injured from the IDF (the so-called Israeli Defense Forces). We have previously reported on Israeli attacks that occurred in June.
The Israeli State is using a great military armament to attack, after 20 years, Jenin refugee camp. Among the weapons, there are military, armored vehicles, drones and combat helicopters like Apache AH64, an US-manufactured and large power helicopter, launching missiles. Similar attack had not been seen in the area since the second intifada, the great Palestinian uprising against the Israeli attacks that lasted five years and left 5,000 dead Palestinians. In this new attack, there are six dead Palestinians for the moment. Among them is a 15 -year -old boy. There is also 100 wounded, 23 of them severely injured. Among them, is the journalist Hazem Nasser who was shot in the chest while filming a building in flames. The director of the hospital where the majority of injured are hospitalized affirmed that the IDF shot in front of the hospital at everyone who moved.
Previously attacks in the area had already occurred. So far this year, there have been 164 murders of Palestinians in the West Bank, including 22 minors, tripling the data of the same period last year. In addition, the Israeli State has kidnapped 16 people during this month, including a former political prisoner, in the cities of Silwan, Tarama, Ramallah, Hebron and Jenin. In Nablus, the West Bank, on June 15, two Palestinians died, one for gunshot wound and another for being run over by a military vehicle. 170 people were left poisoned by smoke inhalation. The incursion in Nablus was carried out to carry out a collective punishment and demolish a house of a political prisoner. According to the Oslo II Agreement, agreement in which Palestinian lands were delivered to Israel and the base of “peace negotiations“, Nablus and Jenin belong to Palestine, but are continuously the objective of the Israel State, which seeks to annex them as part of their territory .
The Palestinian people responded to these attacks. Jenin is one of the refugee camps with more Palestinian militias. Battalion of Jenin responded to the aggression of occupation with firearms when the Israeli army entered the city, they said. The clashes lasted more than ten hours and have continued until this morning. In addition, an armored vehicle was eliminated with an explosive device, which caught two Israeli soldiers inside. In total there have been seven wounded and hospitalized of the Israeli army.
The Israeli State claims that the attack was carried out for the purpose of capturing the son of a Palestinian leader detained in an Israeli jail. But on June 18th news broke that the coalition government had approved plans to build 4,560 houses for settlers in the occupied West Bank and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, who would control the West Bank area, was given powers to avoid the common process for building. “We will continue to develop the settlement and strengthen Israeli control over the territory,” he declared.