(Jenin) Israeli forces disguised as civilian women and doctors stormed a hospital in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, killing three Palestinian activists in a dramatic raid that underscored how deadly violence has spread in the territory following the war in Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has meanwhile ruled out a military withdrawal from Gaza and the release of thousands of imprisoned militants – Hamas’ two main demands for any ceasefire – casting doubt on the latest efforts to end a war that destabilized the entire Middle East.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said Israeli forces opened fire inside Ibn Sina Hospital in the West Bank city of Jenin. A hospital spokesperson said there was no exchange of gunfire, indicating it was a targeted killing.
The Israeli military said the militants were using the hospital as a hideout, without providing evidence. She alleged that one of those targeted transferred weapons and ammunition to others for a planned attack, allegedly inspired by the October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel that sparked the Gaza war .
Footage from the hospital’s security cameras shows a dozen undercover forces, most of them armed, wearing Muslim headscarves, hospital gowns or white doctor’s coats. One carried a rifle in one arm and a folded wheelchair in the other.
Repression in the West Bank
Violence in the West Bank has increased since October 7, with Israel cracking down on suspected militants and killing more than 380 Palestinians, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Most were killed in clashes with Israeli forces during arrest raids or violent protests.
The military said that during Tuesday’s raid on the hospital, armed forces killed Mohammed Jalamneh, 27, who it said was planning an imminent attack. The other two men killed, brothers Basel and Mohammed Ghazawi, were hiding inside the hospital and were involved in attacks, the army said.
The army statement said Jalamneh was armed with a pistol, but made no mention of an exchange of fire.
Hamas claimed the three men as members, calling the operation a “cowardly assassination.”
Hospital spokesman Tawfiq al-Shobaki said there was no exchange of fire and that Basel Ghazawi had been suffering from partial paralysis since October.
“What happened is a precedent,” he argued. There has never been an assassination in a hospital. There were arrests and attacks, but no assassinations. »