Ref: 68/2023
Date: 19 June 2023
Time: 20:00 GMT
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns Israeli Occupation Forces’ (IOF) ongoing escalation deep into the Palestinian Authority (PA)-controlled areas in the West Bank. Today at dawn, IOF moved into Jenin city and its refugee camp, killing 3 Palestinians, including 3 civilians, amongst them a child, and injuring 91 others, mostly civilians and 23 of them in serious condition.
According to information collected by PCHR’s fieldworkers, at approximately 04:40 on Monday, 19 June 2023, an Israeli Special Force disguised as Palestinian civilians sneaked via a Mercedes-Benz bus with a Palestinian registration plate into Jenin refugee camp. The force stationed in al-‘Emarat area, south of the camp, and the Israeli soldiers stepped out of the bus and surrounded ‘Omar ‘Aref Matahen al-Barmaki’s house. Moments later, several military vehicles moved into Jenin city from several directions and backed up the Special Force. Several soldiers topped the roofs of residential houses near the cordoned house and turned them into military barracks for the Israeli snipers. Meanwhile, other Israeli soldiers raided al-Barmaki’s 2-storey house and arrested a child from it. During which, clashes broke out between members of the Palestinian armed groups and IOF.
At around 06:00, During IOF’s withdrawal, an explosion occurred on their way and IOF responded with heavy shooting at anything that was moving inside the camp and in its outskirts. As a result, 22 Palestinians were injured, including a child and a girl who sustained a critical injury. At approximately 08:30, two civilians were pronounced dead and identified as Ahmed Yousef Saqer (15), who was injured near al-Shuhada Cemetery adjacent to the western side of the camp, and Khaled ‘Azzam ‘Asa’sah (21), who was injured near the UNRWA Clinic. Both were injured while throwing stones at the Israeli patrols that were trapped in the camp. Following their death, violent clashes broke out in the camp, and IOF’s shooting led to a complete power outage in the camp and in several neighborhoods in the city, in addition to causing damage to the main water line supplying the area.
At approximately 09:00, IOF warplanes launched several missiles at al-Jabal Street area near al-Asfar Mosque, the first Israeli airstrike on the West Bank for more than 20 years. As a result, the mosque and nearby houses sustained damage. At around 09:30, IOF backups arrived near Ibn Sina Specialist Hospital and violent clashes continued until 15:30. As a result, 3 other Palestinians were killed, including a civilian namely Ahmed Khaled Daraghmah (20), a university student who was shot with a live bullet in the chest, while the other two were members of the Palestinian armed groups and identified as Qais Majdi ‘Adel Jabareen (21) and Qassem Faisal Abu Siryia (29). Also, the number of those injured by IOF fire during the incursion has risen to 91, including a woman, a girl, and 23 in serious condition. Before their withdrawal, IOF arrested 2 Palestinians, including a child.
The Palestinian Ministry of Education announced the postponement of the high school exams (Tawjihi) that were scheduled today in Jenin to another date due to the Israeli incursion into the city.
PCHR warns of further deterioration in thesituation in the West Bank and reiterates its calls on the international community to take an immediate action to stop the Israeli crimes and double standard when applying the international law. PCHR urges in particular the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to take serious action in the situation of Palestine.
PCHR demands the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention fulfil their obligations as per Common Article 1 of the Convention, “undertake to respect and to ensure respect for the present Convention in all circumstances,” and their obligations under Article 146 of the same Conventions, i.e., to hold accountable persons accused of committing grave breaches of the Convention.
