Israeli forces kill Palestinian man in Jenin camp
Palestinian health officials reported on Saturday that Israeli forces killed a man on the outskirts of the Jenin refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank. The victim was identified as 34-year-old Nour Al-Din Kamal Hassan Fayyad by the health ministry in Ramallah, which stated he was "killed by occupation forces' fire in the Jenin camp." The Palestinian Red Crescent confirmed that its teams in Jenin received a man "with no signs of breathing or pulse from inside Jenin camp after he sustained a live bullet wound to the thigh." The Israeli army did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Background of the operation
Israel launched a major military operation in mid-January in multiple northern Palestinian refugee camps, where the army says it is seeking to root out armed groups. The operation, dubbed "Iron Wall," has targeted Jenin and Tulkarem camps and displaced nearly 40,000 Palestinians, according to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA. The Israeli military has sealed off Jenin camp, allowing displaced residents only limited access to check on their homes and belongings.
Historical context
Refugee camps were created in the West Bank, Gaza, and neighboring Arab countries after the first Arab-Israeli war for Palestinians who fled or were expelled from what is now Israel at the time of its creation in 1948. Since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023, near-daily violence has also rocked the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967. According to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry data, Israeli soldiers or settlers have killed at least 1,072 Palestinians since then, including many militants. Official Israeli figures show at least 46 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations in the same period.
