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Israeli attacks continue with full venom on the Palestinian people in the West Bank that began on Monday 19th June. An attack of such a magnitude has not been reported in the West Bank for 20 years. It illustrated Israel escalating it’s ruthless aggression ,in intensity rarely surpassed.
Israeli military forces raided a refugee camp in the northern West Bank on Monday, sparking the most intense day of fighting in years as Palestinian militants detonated roadside bombs and Israeli helicopter gunships struck Palestinian gunmen to rescue troops trapped.
At least five Palestinians were killed, including a 15-year-old boy, and over 90 others were wounded, Palestinian health officials said. Seven Israeli soldiers were also wounded, the army said.
The Israeli State is mercilessly attacking, specifically the Jenin refugee camp, where there are six dead and 100 Palestinian people injured. The Israeli State is deploying a great military armament to attack, after 20 years, Jenin refugee camp. Among the weapons, utilised are military, armored vehicles, drones and combat helicopters like Apache AH64, a US-manufactured and large power helicopter, launching missiles.
For the first time helicopter gunship was utilised in the occupied West Bank since the second Palestinian uprising around two decades ago. The Jenin refugee camp, a long a militant stronghold, witnessed some of the fiercest battles at the time.
An attack of such a scale of intensity had not been witnessed in the area since the second intifada, the great Palestinian uprising against the Israeli attacks that lasted five years and left 5,000 dead Palestinians. In this latest attack, six Palestinians were executed. It included a 15 -year -old boy. There are also 100 wounded, 23 of them severely injured, including journalist Hazem Nasser who was shot in the chest while filming a building in flames. The director of the hospital where the majority of injured are hospitalized affirmed that the IDF fired a bullet at everyone who dispersed outside the hospital.
Previously attacks in the area were frequent. So far this year, there have been 164 murders of Palestinians in the West Bank, including 22 minors, tripling the data of the same period last year. In addition, the Israeli State has kidnapped 16 people during this month, including a former political prisoner, in the cities of Silwan, Tarama, Ramallah, Hebron and Jenin. In Nablus, the West Bank, on June 15, two Palestinians died, one from a gunshot wound and another for being run over by a military vehicle. 170 people were left poisoned by smoke inhalation. The attack in Nablus was undertaken to award a collective punishment and demolish a house of a political prisoner.
According to the Oslo II Agreement, in which Palestinian lands are granted to Israel and Nablus and Jenin belong to Palestine. Still Israel State seeks to annex them as part of their territory. The Palestinian people combated these attacks, with high ferocity, through militias. Jenin is one of the refugee camps inhabiting more Palestinian militias. Battalion of Jenin resisted the aggression with firearms when the Israeli army barged into the city. The clashes prevailed for more than ten hours. In addition, an armoured vehicle was destroyed with an explosive device, which trapped two Israeli soldiers inside. In total there have been seven wounded and hospitalized of the Israeli army.
The Israeli State alleges that the attack was carried out for the purpose of capturing the son of a Palestinian leader detained in an Israeli jail. However on June 18th news broke that the coalition government had proclaimed an order to build 4,560 houses for settlers in the occupied West Bank and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, who would control the West Bank area, was empowered to avoid the common process for building. “We will continue to develop the settlement and strengthen Israeli control over the territory,” he declared.
The Palestinian leadership and other Arab states in no uncertain terms condemned the Israeli raid. Hussein al-Sheikh, a senior Palestinian official, accused Israel of waging “a fierce and open war” against the Palestinian people. Egypt’s Foreign Ministry condemned Israel’s “continued escalation against the Palestinians,” saying the violence violated steps to dilute regional tensions.
The Palestinian cabinet strongly blasted out against the ongoing Israeli aggression on the city of Jenin and its camp."The international silence and double standards encourage the Israeli government to practice more killing, destruction and intimidation against our people, and as long as the Israel forces, the occupying power, will not be held accountable for their crimes, such aggression and assault will continue,".
"Our people will confront such aggression," they added, "all ministries are ready to provide what is needed to support our people in Jenin." Most encouraging witnessing the unflinching resilience of the Palestinian people resisting the tyranny of Israel.
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Harsh Thakor is freelance journalist who thanks information from Red Herald New Arab blog and El Pais
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