MEE Staff
Middle East Eye / July 5, 2023
Protests were also held in front of PA offices in the city, denouncing the leadership’s failure to protect Palestinians.
Palestinian mourners expelled Palestinian Authority (PA) leaders who were present at the funeral procession held for the victims of the Jenin offensive on Wednesday afternoon.
Thousands of Palestinians gathered to take part in the procession held for the 12 people killed in the large-scale Israeli raid.
However, anger was directed toward PA leaders who had come to pay their respects.
In videos shared online, mourners were seen shouting at the officials, who included Mahmoud al-Oul and Azzam al-Ahmad.
Many called them “traitors” and said their actions were “shameful”.
In some videos, crowds of people were heard shouting “out, out” in unison, pushing the Palestinian leaders out of the procession.
Many Palestinians feel let down by the Palestinian Authority for its inaction following the start of the raid, which, over two days, damaged or destroyed more than 80 percent of homes in the camp and displaced some 4,000 people.
Waterworks and electricity lines were still not functioning for the third day, forcing people to seek shelter with relatives. Some have been left sleeping out in the streets.
Many parts of the Jenin camp have been reduced to rubble, with hospitals and places of worship also heavily damaged in the attacks.
Eyewitnesses told Middle East Eye that the attacks resembled the aftermath of an earthquake, and as the assault was underway, the sound of crying could be heard from homes.
Hours before the funeral procession, crowds of Palestinians also gathered outside the PA’s headquarters in Jenin to protest.
Some pelted the building with stones to denounce the PA’s inaction during the violent raid on Jenin.
A palpable sense of anger could be felt in the streets of Jenin since Israeli forces withdrew on Wednesday morning, with many people believing that the PA was negligent and failed to protect Palestinians.
