Middle East Monitor / January 26, 2023
The Palestinian Resistance group, Fatah, has today declared heightened hostilities with Israel, following the Occupation army’s operation in the Jenin refugee camp which has left at least nine Palestinians dead, including a 60-year-old woman, and several others wounded.
The raid has been described as the deadliest day in years in the northern West Bank Territory, according to AP. It was also the largest Israeli military offensive against the refugee camp since the 2002 massacre during the Second Intifada.
In a statement, Fatah called for intensifying confrontation against the Israeli Occupation, in addition to a general strike across the Palestinian Territories. “Let our people rise up everywhere, and let everyone take responsibility for deterring aggression, and let our streets be arenas of confrontation with the aggressors and settlers,” it said. The Teachers Union also announced the suspension of working hours in all schools in Bethlehem.
The Israeli military claimed it was carrying out a raid to arrest a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) which has a presence in the camp. At least one of the dead has been identified as a member of the armed wing of Fatah, Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade.
Akram Rajoub, the Governor of Jenin, told AP that the Israeli military blocked medical teams from reaching the injured and used tear gas that entered the government hospital, affecting patients, including infants and disrupting surgeries. “We ask that the international community help the Palestinians against this extremist right-wing government and protect our citizens,” he said.
The killings comes weeks after Israel’s most right-wing government ever came to power, which has vowed to take a stronger stance against the Palestinians and to expand illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian lands.
