The Riverside Press-Enterprise
2 Palestinians killed in gunbattle during raid
JERUSALEM >> Israeli forces raided a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, setting off a gunbattle in which two Palestinians were killed and 15 were wounded as Israel targeted what it said were militant networks after a series of deadly attacks.
In a separate incident, a Palestinian stabbed a 28-year-old Israeli man on a bus in the West Bank before being killed by a bystander, the military said. The Magen David Adom emergency service said the stabbing victim was treated and taken to a hospital.
Videos circulated online showing smoke rising from the center of the Jenin refugee camp as gunfire echoed in the background. Others appeared to show Israeli soldiers and Palestinian gunmen moving through the narrow streets.
The raid came two days after a Palestinian from a village near Jenin shot and killed five people in central
Israel, part of a wave of attacks in recent days that has left a total of 11 people dead.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said 17-year-old Sanad Abu Atiyeh and 23-year-old Yazid al-saadi were killed Thursday. It said 30-year-old Nidal Jaafara was shot and killed near the West Bank town of Bethlehem, apparently referring to the stabbing incident.
The Israeli military said troops came under fire after entering Jenin to arrest three suspects linked to Tuesday’s attack. It said one soldier was wounded and evacuated to a hospital for treatment.
The army said it has arrested a total of 31 suspects in recent West Bank raids aimed at preventing more attacks.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s office later Thursday announced it was spending about $56 million in emergency funding for more police officers and equipment.
“A strong police equals a strong Israel,” Bennett said in a statement.
“We are operating all means and on all fronts to restore security and a feeling of safety to the people of Israel.”
The Jenin refugee camp was the scene of one of the deadliest battles of the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising. In April 2002, Israeli forces fought Palestinian militants in the camp for nearly three weeks. Twenty-three Israeli soldiers and at least 52 Palestinians, including civilians, were killed, according to the U.N.
The Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the occupied West Bank and coordinates with Israel on security matters, appears to have had little control over Jenin in recent years. Israeli forces operating in and around the city and refugee camp often come under fire.
The Islamic Jihad militant group announced a “general mobilization” of its fighters after Thursday’s raid.