A CHILD has been killed and two other people wounded in an Israeli drone strike on eastern Jenin as the Israeli army’s deadly raids continued across the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian Wafa news agency reported that the drone targeted civilians near the Saadi family council which resulted in the killing of the 14-year-old.
The deadly Israeli raids, which it calls the “Iron Wall” campaign, were launched just days after a ceasefire was agreed in Gaza. Since then, at least 20 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces across the occupied territory in addition to dozens wounded.
In addition to the deadly attack on Jenin, the Israeli army also carried out intensive military operations in Tulkarem city and its refugee camp for a sixth consecutive day, forcing Palestinians to leave their homes.
Israeli forces also stormed several other areas of the occupied West Bank on Saturday, including the nearby Balata camp, Nablus and al-Ain refugee camp.
The Israeli army carried out a series of raids overnight, including shooting at civilians in a car on Halhul-Hebron Bridge north of Hebron and arresting those inside, and setting a house ablaze near a mosque south of Hebron.
In a separate overnight raid, the Israeli military also fired gas grenades at houses in Hebron’s west as the military searched the home of freed prisoner Shehadeh al-Jiyawi, Wafa reported.
Besides raids, the Israeli military also carried out arrests according to the Palestinian Information Center.
One Palestinian man was arrested after Israeli forces stormed into his house in the occupied West Bank city of Qalqilya. A second man, a student at Birzeit University, was arrested after Israeli forces stormed into his home in the Deir Ammar refugee camp, west of Ramallah.
Since October 2023, at least 880 Palestinians have been killed in attacks by the Israeli army and settlers across the occupied West Bank.
On Thursday, Palestine’s Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa described what is happening in the occupied West Bank as “a systematic effort to destroy the foundations of the Palestinian state”.
“We are witnessing military incursions into northern West Bank governorates, accompanied by killing, detention, infrastructure destruction, and demolition of homes and structures. This demands urgent international action to put this to an end.”
Earlier this month, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for “maximum restraint” from Israeli forces. He told a UN Security Council meeting about his fears of “an existential threat to the integrity and contiguity” of Gaza and the occupied West Bank from Israel.