The Israeli army killed nine Palestinians, including an elderly woman, and wounded 12 others in clashes with snipers on Thursday at the Jenin refugee camp, which has been a focus of clashes in the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli military says it has sent its special forces to Jenin to detain members of the Islamic Jihad armed group, suspected of having planned a series of terrorist attacks.
Islamic Jihad confirmed it had clashed with Israel, whose troops have infrequently advanced on the refugee camp, known for concentrating militants. Another Islamist group, Hamas, said its men had also taken part in the battle.
The death toll – the highest in Jenin in years – prompted Islamic Jihad to warn that the truce negotiated with Israel after an exchange of fire from the Gaza Strip last year could be at risk.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said at least 29 Palestinians, including soldiers and civilians, have been killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank since the beginning of this year.
Islamic Jihad, which brings together Palestinian militants, was founded in Gaza in the 1980s. Considered close to the Tehran regime, the organization has an ideology similar to that of Hamas and works together with the group that controls the region, although it has its own structure. The US and the European Union consider it a terrorist group.
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