Israeli forces Thursday morning killed at least four Palestinians and wounded at least 13 others in the northern occupied West Bank city of Jenin, according to the Health Ministry.
The Health Ministry announced that four other Palestinians were killed by Israeli army gunfire during a violent raid into the city and neighboring refugee camp.
One of the fatalities, Saeb Issam Mahmoud Izreiqi, 24, was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition after being shot by Israeli army gunfire, and succumbed to his wounds afterwards. The identities of the other fatalities were not immediately clear.
A sizable army force barged its way into the flashpoint city and the neighboring refugee camp, where snipers seized positions on the rooftops of houses, trigging violent confrontations.
The heavily-armed soldiers opened fire towards local youths attempting to block their entry, wounding seven, including one seriously wounded by live ammunition in the chest and thigh.
The army force disconnected the power supply to the camp, denied paramedics and reporter access to it and directly opened fire on an ambulance.
Health Minister, Mai al-Kaileh, stated Palestinian Red Crescent (PRC) first emergency medical workers at the scene could not evacuate the wounded as Israeli soldiers restricted access to the camp and hampered ambulances from fetching and transferring the casualties.
Al-Kaileh added that the occupation forces fired gas bombs toward the pediatric section of Jenin Government Hospital, causing suffocation cases from gas inhalation among Palestinians, including mothers and children.
She said that she demanded an urgent meeting with the World Health Organization and the International Committee of the Red Cross to bring an end to the Israeli aggression, save the lives of Palestinians and prevent further bloodshed while urging international human rights organizations to urgently intervene to help rein in Israeli army practices.
Source: Palestine News & Information Agency