Israeli Commandos Kill Members Of Islamic Jihad, Hamas And Fatah In Attack On Jenin

Illustration of Israeli troops. (Wikimedia Commons/Goldy)

JAKARTA - Israeli commandos killed seven gunmen and two civilians in an attack in Jenin, the occupied West Bank on Thursday, Palestinian officials said, raising fears of further unrest.

The Israeli military said it sent special forces to Jenin to detain members of the armed group Islamic Jihad, which it suspects has carried out and planned several major terror attacks, shooting some of them after the group opened fire.

During the three-hour clash, gunfire echoed through the camp's narrow alleys, as well as the occasional explosion from an improvised explosive device detonated by the militants. Youths pelted the army vehicle with stones, reported Reuters January 26.

There were no Israeli casualties. After the troops withdrew and the smoke and tear gas cleared, fleeing civilians streamed into the camp to check for casualties. A two-story building which was the focus of the battle was left heavily damaged.

Islamic Jihad said two of its people were killed in clashes during the attack on the Jenin refugee camp. The four gunmen killed were claimed by Hamas, and another by the armed wing of the Fatah faction.

The other two dead were male and female civilians, local residents said.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the attack in Jenin as a massacre.

An Islamic Jihad official said the group had told international mediators to warn Israel that the Jenin violence "could spread everywhere".

Meanwhile, Hamas Deputy Chief Saleh Al-Arouri said in a statement that the response to the armed attack "would not be long in coming".

UN and Arab mediators said they were in talks with Israel and Palestinian factions, hoping to prevent an escalation following the clashes in Jenin.

Separately, praising the Israeli troops in the Jenin attack, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said, "Any terrorist who tries to harm our personnel should know that the blood will be lost."