Live: Jenin raid ends with 12 Palestinians and an Israeli dead

Dear Middle East Eye readers,

We'll be wrapping up our live blog for the evening on the unfolding attack by Israel on Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.

Thousands of Palestinian civilians were streaming out of Jenin late on Monday night local time as the refugee camp braced for a new night of  assaults, with Israeli military reinforcements reportedly streaming into the city.

The evacuations have raised fears in the camp that the Israeli army may be planning more heavy aerial and ground attacks overnight, residents have said.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said that more than 3,000 people have been evacuated so far with the number likely to rise. At least eight Palestinians were killed, including three children, and 50 wounded, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Four were killed from gunshot wounds and at least three died in air strikes.

The ministry said the number of casualties was likely to rise because there are a high number of critical injuries and because Israeli army bulldozers were blocking paramedics from reaching some areas.

Lynn Hastings, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Palestine, said she was "alarmed by the scale of [the] Israeli forces' operation" in Jenin.

"Air strikes were used in the densely populated refugee camp. Several dead and critically wounded. Access to all injured must be ensured," she said on Twitter.

Later in the day, a UN spokesperson told reporters that "it is not acceptable for there to be armed attacks in areas of high population density" when asked about the drone strikes.

The attack also elicited condemnation from Arab and Muslim-majority countries including Turkey, the UAE, Jordan and Egypt.

"We are deeply concerned that with these attacks, the current tension in the region could trigger a new spiral of violence," the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement that called on Israel to halt the military campaign.

The UAE  "strongly condemned the attacks carried out by the Israeli forces". The ministry, the statement said, "stressed the need to immediately stop the repeated and escalating campaigns against the Palestinian people" to abide by the provisions of international law and Security Council resolutions.

In response to the attack, the Palestinian Authority (PA) announced it was cutting security ties with Israel. This is the second time this year the PA has severed contact.

The last time the PA made such an announcement was in May 2020, following the revelation of Israeli plans to annex parts of the West Bank as part of then-US President Donald Trump's controversial proposals for the region.

The PA move in January prompted concern in Washington that Israel's ability to carry out operations would be hindered. Israeli and Palestinian officials pledged to prevent escalating violence during talks in Jordan on Sunday.

US National Security Council Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk arranged a summit in Aqaba in February with Jordan and Egypt to broker a deal to resume ties.

That's it for tonight. Please check back in the morning for all of MEE's latest updates.

The UN has said that drone attacks in densely populated areas are ‘not acceptable’ amid an Israeli attack on Jenin.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply concerned about the developments in Jenin”, according to a statement released by his office.

But Guterres refrained from condemning the attack, instead affirming “that all military operations must be conducted with full respect for international humanitarian law,” according to the statement.

Jenin came under attack on Monday with air strikes starting at around 1 am local time (11 PM GMT) as Israeli drones and Apache attack helicopters targeted several locations in the city.

The camp is home to 13,000 people. A growing number of Palestinian fighters have risen up in the camp opposed to Israel’s occupation of the West Bank.

Earlier in the day Lynn Hastings, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Palestine, said she was “alarmed by scale of Israeli forces operation.”

A UN spokesperson told reporters on Monday, “It is not acceptable for there to be armed attacks in areas of high population density” when asked about the drone strikes.
The spokesperson says Guterres is evaluating the situation, and is “in touch with a range of parties,” while he stresses the need to avoid further escalation.

The Israeli army has ordered Palestinians to evacuate Jenin refugee camp, forcing hundreds of people to spend the night in hospitals, Palestinian media have reported.

Videos posted on social media showed scores of Palestinians walking by an army jeep late at night. One man could be heard behind the camera blaming the army in Arabic for forcing the evacuation. Young children are seen in the video holding hands with adults as they stream out late at night.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said more than 3,000 people have been evacuated so far with the number likely to rise. 

The mass forced evacuations have raised fears in the camp that the Israeli army may be planning more heavy aerial and ground attacks overnight, residents have said. 

The Israeli army has not commented on the evacuation reports.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lauded security ties with the US and American backing for a deadly attack by Israel's army on Jenin that has been widely condemned by the international community.

"America has provided Israel with moral and political backing against those who would wipe us out, the only Jewish state," he said. "Security cooperation [with the US] has never been better, intelligence sharing has never been deeper."

Israel launched the attack on Monday, the day before the US independence day holiday. In a statement earlier today, the US said it supported "Israel's security and right to defend its people".

Later, the State Department said it was "imperative" to take all possible precautions to prevent the killing of civilians.Netanyahu's comments come amid signs of strain in the US-Israel relationship. The US mainly spoken out about Netanyahu's plans to overhaul the country's judicial system.

Netanyahu has yet to secure a visit to the White House, although Israeli President Isaac Herzog is expected to visit during a trip to the US this month. The Biden administration also snubbed National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, two far right members of Netanyahu's coalition.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) announced it was cutting security ties with Israel on Monday after Israeli forces launched a major attack on Jenin in the occupied West Bank.

The decision was made by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas after a meeting with leaders of the PA.The move is the second time in a year that the PA has suspended security cooperation with Israel and signals how the region has descended into wider outbreaks of violence in recent years.

The last time was in January after Israeli forces killed 10 Palestinians in a single day, also during a raid on the Jenin refugee camp.

Before this year, the last time the PA made such an announcement was in May 2020, following the revelation of Israeli plans to annex parts of the West Bank as part of then-US President Donald Trump's controversial proposals for the region.

The PA move in January prompted concern in Washington that Israel's ability to carry out operations would be hindered. Israeli and Palestinian officials pledged to prevent escalating violence during talks in Jordan on Sunday.

US National Security Council Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk arranged a summit in Aqaba in February with Jordan and Egypt to broker a deal to resume ties.

The UAE and Turkey condemned Israel's offensive on Jenin in the occupied West Bank on Monday, while the US backed the military offensive.

"We are deeply concerned that with these attacks, the current tension in the region could trigger a new spiral of violence," the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement that called on Israel to halt the military campaign.

The UAE said it "strongly condemned the attacks carried out by the Israeli forces". The ministry, the statement said, "stressed the need to immediately stop the repeated and escalating campaigns against the Palestinian people" to abide by the provisions of international law and Security Council resolutions.

The statements follow widespread condemnation of the assault by the international community, including the United Nations.

The US, however, backed Israel's campaign, which included an attack by ground forces and drones. "We support Israel's security and right to defend its people against Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other terrorist groups," the report said

.Jenin is home to a number of Palestinian armed groups that have sprouted up recently to resist Israel's occupation of the West Bank.

Palestinians have gathered along the Israel-Gaza separation fence, east of the Gaza strip, in solidarity with Palestinians in Jenin. 

Carrying flags and setting fire to tyres, Palestinians have come out to condemn the offensive on Jenin today. 

According to local media reports, Israeli occupation forces launched tear gas cannisters at demonstrators. 

Earlier today, the Palestinian armed group, the Lion's Den, called on people across the West Bank and Gaza to mobilise in support of people in Jenin. 

The Israeli army has announced the storming of Jenin’s Al-Ansar Mosque after claiming that armed men were holed up inside it.

However, no one appeared to be inside. 

Al Araby Al-Jadeed reported earlier that Israeli forces surrounded the mosque, with civilians seeking safety forced out of the area.

The Israeli military has said that it requires at least another 24 hours to complete the military operation in Jenin.

The military has declined to say exactly how long the operation will take, only stating that it could be longer than one day.

A person briefed on the military’s planning told Reuters that Israeli forces would stay in the West Bank as long as necessary.

Al Amal hospital in Jenin has been targeted during the Israeli offensive into the refugee camp, with videos shared online showing the hospital’s shattered windows, an apparent result of gunfire.

According to eyewitnesses, civilians were seeking shelter in the hospital, which came under fire, causing widespread panic.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health said that the live fire was “endangering the lives of patients and staff” and said Israeli forces had also been preventing ambulances from transporting people into the hospital.

According to local media, some equipment in the hospital was also damaged as a result of the live fire.

Israel’s offensive on Jenin, which has now been ongoing for over 14 hours, has been condemned by countries around the world, as well as raised concerns in the United Nations.

Eight people have been killed in the violent offensive so far, with officials on the ground saying that the death count is expected to grow.

Lynn Hastings, the humanitarian coordinator in Palestine for the United Nations, called for access to those injured to be granted, after roadblocks and destroyed infrastructure prevented ambulances from reaching casualties.

The Jordanian foreign ministry issued a statement, saying that the offensive "constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law".

Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called for the intervention of international bodies to stop the escalations.

The statement described the offensive as an “excessive and indiscriminate force, a flagrant violation of the provisions of international law and international legitimacy”.

Nasser Kanaani, the spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry, also condemned the military operation, saying that it was a "reckless crime" and that the “Zionist entity will be defeated this time as well”.

A number of humanitarian groups have raised concerns over the developments, with Euro-Med Monitor stating that large-scale damage to infrastructure is alarming.

“Action is needed to halt the attack and cease endangering civilians under the guise of military necessity,” they said in a tweet.

Palestinian armed group the Lion's Den have issued a statement calling on people to mobilise this evening, amidst the ongoing Israeli offensive in Jenin.

The statement called on Palestinians to gather in the streets, public squares, at checkpoints, and chant for Jenin and those that were killed earlier on Monday.

The group has called on people to gather at 7pm, to close roads and routes used by Israeli forces and settlers and any ways that are used to get their supplies into the city.

The group also announced that a number of individuals from the Lion’s Den had arrived in Jenin, and had been there since dawn today, and were "now participating in the noblest and purest battles."

Journalists covering the offensive in Jenin have been attacked, with videos and photos shared online showing their video cameras being set on fire.

Other photos shared online to Twitter showed journalists wearing press vests holding their cameras which had been severely damaged.

According to local journalists on the ground, some of the cameras being destroyed by Israeli forces belonged to Al Araby TV staff who were on the ground covering the events.

Palestinians have decried the move as an attempt to cover up the attacks on Palestinian civilians and to hide evidence of abuses carried out.

The Palestinian health ministry said on Monday that seven of the eight Palestinians killed by Israel in Jenin were under the age of 20, among whom three were minors.

Here are their names:

Nour Eddin Husam Marshoud, 16
Majdi Ararawi, 17
Ali Hani al-Ghoul, 17
Husam Mohammad Abu Deibeh, 18
Aws Hani Hanoun, 19
Sameeh Firas Abu al-Wafa, 20
Ahmad Mohammad Amer, 21
Mohammad Muhannad al-Shami, 23

The Jenin municipality said Israeli soldiers have severely damaged the camp's infrastructure, causing water and electricity services to cease in all neighbourhoods in the camp.

It added that Israeli forces are preventing municipality crews from repairing the main lines of the water network.