Nine Palestinians killed in Israeli raid in Jenin - BBC

Nine Palestinians person been killed during an Israeli subject raid successful the occupied West Bank - the deadliest successful years - Palestinian officials say.

A pistillate aged 60 was reported among the dead, successful the flashpoint municipality of Jenin.

The Israeli subject said its troops went successful to apprehension Islamic Jihad militants readying "major attacks".

The Palestinian presidency accused Israel of a "massacre" successful Jenin, which has been the country of repeated raids successful caller months.

The incursions are portion of what the Israeli subject describes arsenic an anti-terrorism violative that began past April.

Heavy gunfire and explosions could beryllium heard successful video footage from Jenin exile campy connected Thursday morning, arsenic Israeli troops surrounded buildings and clashed with Palestinian militants.

The Palestinian wellness ministry identified 3 of those killed arsenic Magda Obaid, 60, Saeb Izreiqi, 24, and Izzidin Salahat, 26. Twenty radical were besides wounded, 4 of them seriously, it said.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its troops entered Jenin to apprehension an Islamic Jihad "terror squad", who it accused of being "heavily progressive successful readying and executing aggregate large violent attacks connected Israeli civilians and soldiers".

It said forces surrounded a gathering and that 3 equipped suspects were "neutralised" aft they opened fire, portion a 4th fishy surrendered. The IDF said troops were changeable astatine by different Palestinian gunmen and returned fire, hitting targets. It added it was looking into "claims regarding further casualties".

Islamic Jihad and Hamas said their militants had targeted the troops with gunfire and improvised explosive devices.

The location which the IDF said was being utilized arsenic a hideout by the Islamic Jihad compartment was inactive smouldering wherever furnishings wrong caught fire.

The outer walls connected the crushed level were reduced to rubble, leaving the taps and descend of a bath exposed. The precocious level was meantime pocked with slug holes, portion the stairwell contained a excavation of blood.

Aisha Abu al-Naj, 73, who lives adjacent door, told the BBC that her location shook during the raid, forcing her and her children to instrumentality cover.

"We were afraid. I saw the service and past I couldn't unfastened oregon look done the window. It was a scary situation," she said.

"There were immoderate young Palestinians adjacent to our gathering who past came and surrounded it. They changeable astatine them. And past determination was a batch of radical who were killed."

The authoritative Palestinian quality bureau Wafa reported that 7 youths were changeable and wounded portion attempting to forestall the Israeli forces from entering Jenin, and that the troops "completely destroyed" the Jenin Camp Club.

Taxi operator Mohammed Ammori said helium had been talking to a person erstwhile Israeli troops pulled up beside a gathering adjacent to the nine successful cars and a lorry.

"We heard gunshots. We fled into the Jenin nine and we stayed nether siege determination for 3 hours."

He added: "After astir an hour, subject bulldozers destroyed cars connected some sides of the road, past destroyed the club's wall."

Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila said Palestinian Red Crescent ambulances were initially incapable to scope the wounded due to the fact that Israeli troops restricted entree to the scene.

The children's ward of a section infirmary was besides deed by Israeli teardrop gas, she said. The IDF told AFP quality bureau that determination was enactment not acold distant and that it was imaginable immoderate teardrop state entered done an unfastened window.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared 3 days of nationalist mourning successful effect to what his spokesperson called a "massacre" happening "amidst planetary silence".

"This is what encourages the concern authorities to perpetrate massacres against our radical successful afloat presumption of the world," Nabil Abu Rudeineh said.

Jenin Deputy Governor Kamal Abu al-Rub told AFP that residents were surviving successful a "real authorities of war" and that Israeli forces were "destroying everything and shooting astatine everything that moves".

United Nations Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland said: "I americium profoundly alarmed and saddened by the continuing rhythm of unit successful the occupied West Bank."

"Since the opening of this year, we are continuing to witnesser precocious levels of unit and different antagonistic trends that characterized 2022. It is important to trim tensions instantly and forestall much nonaccomplishment of life," helium added.

At slightest 29 Palestinians person been killed by Israeli forces successful the West Bank truthful acold this year, including militants and civilians, arsenic the subject continues operations there.

Last twelvemonth successful the West Bank much than 150 Palestinians were killed, astir each by Israeli forces. The dormant included unarmed civilians, militant gunmen and equipped attackers.

A bid of attacks by Palestinians and Israeli Arabs targeting Israelis, arsenic good arsenic militant gunfire astatine troops during apprehension raids, meantime killed much than 30 radical including civilians, constabulary and soldiers.