The Israeli forces today sent commandos disguised as medical personnel and in civilian clothes to a hospital in Jenin, in the occupied West Bankto execute three men, whom they said were “terrorists” and that one of them was linked to Hamas.

It is the first time since 2015 that Israeli forces have launched this type of operation at a hospital in the West Bank, where tensions are rising against the background of the war between Israel and the Islamist Palestinian movement Hamas in Gaza, the AFP notes about the operation. which Reuters sees as further evidence that Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza is expanding to other fronts.

An AFP journalist saw the bodies of three men, who were mourned by their relatives, inside the Avicenna hospital in Jenin, a stronghold of armed Palestinian organizations. A stretcher, on which was a bloody pillow bearing a bullet hole, left no doubt as to the nature of the operation.

Further away, a mattress also bore traces of blood, as did the floor and walls.

In a joint statement, Israel’s military, internal security and police said they had jointly “neutralized” Mohammad Jalamneh, a “Hamas terrorist,” as well as “two other terrorists,” Bassel and Ayman Gazawi.

Hamas confirmed that Jalamneh was a member. Also Islamic Jihad, another Islamist Palestinian movement, announced that the Ghazawi brothers were members. The funerals of the latter were held late this morning.

“A group of members of the occupation forces in civilian clothes entered and murdered” the three men with silenced weapons, Dr. Naji Nazal, medical director of the hospital.

“The operation took place in the rehabilitation service of the third floor, where Bassel Ghazawi had been hospitalized since October 25,” the doctor added, claiming that the man could “no longer move at all.”

In security camera footage released by the Palestinian Authority on social media, a dozen men and women carrying military weapons and disguised as medical personnel or in civilian clothes enter a hospital at 05:43 and immobilize those present at gunpoint. .

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced through X “severe” killings that constitute “crimes against humanity”.

For its part, the Palestinian Ministry of Health emphasized in a statement that hospital institutions are protected by international law.

The ministry “urgently calls on the United Nations General Assembly, international institutions and human rights organizations to put an end to the crimes committed daily by the (Israeli) occupation against our people and our health centers.”

According to the statement by the Israeli forces, Jalamneh “maintained contacts with Hamas command centers abroad and was injured while attempting to carry out a car bomb attack” some time ago.

He also allegedly “transported weapons and ammunition to terrorists to carry out attacks” and “planned a raid inspired by the 7 October massacres”.

That day, Hamas commandos launched a surprise attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip, which killed about 1,140 people on the Israeli side, according to an AFP tally from official Israeli figures.

“Jalamneh was planning to carry out an attack at very short notice and was using the hospital to hide,” Israeli forces claimed. According to the same source, “large numbers” of Palestinians wanted by Israel use the hospitals “as bases to plan terrorist activities and carry out attacks.”