Six People Killed In West Bank In Israeli Troop Operations

Israeli Military/DOK Israel Defense Forces (IDF)

JAKARTA - Five Palestinians, including a 60-year-old woman, have been killed by Israeli troops in Jenin for the past 24 hours, the Palestinian Authority said. Another man was killed by Palestinian security forces.

This latest incident adds to the number of Palestinians killed since January, when Israeli forces launched major operations involving thousands of troops in cities and refugee camps north of the West Bank, to more than 30.

Many of those killed were armed fighters of the Palestinian militant group, but many civilians who were not involved were also killed.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians have fled their homes since the West Bank operation began at the start of a ceasefire in Gaza. Troops stormed refugee camps in Jenin and nearby cities, destroying homes and infrastructure, including roads and water pipes.

Israel said the West Bank operation was aimed at attacking Iran-backed militant groups, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which have built forts in dense cities built to house descendants of Palestinians who fled, or were forced to flee their homes in the Middle East war in 1948.

Countries including France and Germany as well as international groups including the United Nations have expressed concern over the scale of the operation and called for restraint.

On Tuesday, police special forces were involved in a shootout with armed Palestinians taking refuge in a house in Jenin, killing two people and injuring another man, the Israeli military said.

In a separate incident, a man who opened fire on Israeli troops was killed.

PA said troops shooting from a checkpoint also killed a 60-year-old woman. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

On the night before, a Palestinian man was killed when his motorcycle was hit by an Israeli army vehicle.