MEE Staff
Middle East Eye / August 16, 2021
Palestinian health ministry and witnesses says four killed following Israeli Border Police incursion into refugee camp
Four Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli security forces in the West Bank on Monday following a raid on the Jenin refugee camp, according to witnesses and medical sources.
The Palestinian health ministry said two people were killed by “the occupation” at dawn in the camp.
The two killed were identified by the ministry as Raed Abu Saif, 21, and Saleh Omar, 19.
According to witnesses speaking to AFP, a further two bodies were also taken to the Jenin hospital morgue by Israeli forces, while an Israeli border police spokesman also said two other bodies were in their custody.
The Palestinian Quds News Network identified the two others killed as Nour Jarrar and Amjad Hussainiya.
Jenin’s governor also confirmed to Voice of Palestine radio that at least four Palestinians were killed.
The Israel Border Police claimed they had come under fire while searching undercover for a Palestinian suspected of involvement in “terrorist” activities.
“The border police force fired back at the terrorists and neutralized them. There were no victims among our ranks,” an official told AFP.
Ongoing demonstrations
The inhabitants of Jenin and the town of Beita have held a number of demonstrations in recent weeks against the Israeli occupation and settlement expansion, triggering violent confrontations which have claimed the lives of several Palestinians and left hundreds more injured.
Beita residents have been demonstrating since May against the wildcat Jewish settlement of Eviatar set up nearby without official permission from Israeli authorities.
The settlement was evacuated in early July but Israeli army troops remain stationed there while authorities deliberate on its fate.
If the settlement is approved, its founders will be allowed to take up residence there more permanently.
Beita’s residents have vowed to continue their campaign until the army also leaves the outpost.
Israel occupied the West Bank during the 1967 war and all Jewish settlements there are considered illegal by most of the international community.
Almost half a million people live in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, alongside 2.8 million Palestinians.
