Israeli soldiers operating in the West Bank city of Jenin on June 17, 2022. Source: the Israel Defense Forces.
On June 17, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) killed three Palestinians and wounded eight others during an operation in the West Bank town of Jenin.
Clashes broke out when a reconnaissance unit from the IDF’s elite 1st “Golani” Brigade stormed Jenin, that has been the focal point of recent violence. In a statement, the IDF claimed that the unit came under fire while operating in the town.
According to the IDF, the three Palestinians who were killed during the operation were gunmen who opened fire at Israeli soldiers from a stationary vehicle. After Killing the gunmen, the soldiers found two M-16 rifles and a Carlo-style machine gun in the vehicle, along with a number of ammunition magazines.
Weapons seized by Israeli troops in the West Bank city of Jenin on July 17, 2022. Source: the Israeli Defense Forces.
The death toll from the clashes could raise. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, one of the wounded is currently in a critical condition.
The three slain gunmen were identified by Palestinian sources as Baraa Lahlouh, 24, Laith Abu Srour, 24, and Yousef Salah, 23.
From left to right: Baraa Lahlouh, Laith Abu Srour and Yousef Salah.
In a statement, al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, said that the three gunmen were members of its Jenin Division. The brigades said that the killing of its members will not go unpunished.
“The occupation’s awful crime against three Mujahedeen will not go unnoticed. We promised the criminal occupation that we will respond to this awful crime and that it will pay a hefty price,” the statement reads.
The IDF and Israeli security forces stepped up their operations in the West Bank in response to a wave of attacks in the occupied region and inside Israel that have left 19 people dead since March 22. As a result of recent Israeli operations, 30 Palestinians were killed.
Tensions in the West Bank could soon spread to the Gaza Strip. Last year, a fierce battle broke out between Palestinian factions in the enclave and the IDF as a result of an Israeli crackdown on Palestinian residents in Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.
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