ICRC chief in West Bank after deadly Israeli raids on Jenin

The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) arrived in the occupied West Bank on Friday, after days of deadly Israeli raids in Jenin.

Mirjana Spoljaric will meet the Palestine Red Crescent Society's leadership to talk about helping Palestinians after a recent surge in violence, the ICRC said in a press release.

"She will meet with health authorities as well as representatives of Palestinian detainees, to listen and share with them the ICRC's persistent efforts to regain access to monitor their treatment in detention," the release added.

Spoljaric's visit comes after Israeli forces raided Jenin, a major West Bank city, over several days, killing 12 people.

The attacks, which began on Tuesday and ended on Thursday, also left 34 people injured, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Today in the West Bank I am meeting with the leadership of the @PalestineRCS and with the Ministry of Health.

I will also see the Committee of Detainee Affairs – to listen and share with them @ICRC’s persistent efforts to regain humanitarian access to places of detention.

— Mirjana Spoljaric (@ICRCPresident) December 15, 2023

Spoljaric's visit comes amid Israel's indiscriminate war on Gaza, which has so far killed almost 18,800 people, according to health authorities in the strip.

She arrived in Israel on Thursday, where she met hostages' families and officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog.

The Hamas-led 7 October attack inside Israel killed some 1,200 people, according to Israeli authorities.

The ICRC helped facilitate hostage exchanges during a weeklong truce in the Gaza war.

The pause in hostilities, which began on 24 November, saw the release of over 100 captives held in Gaza, while Israel freed 240 Palestinians kept in its jails.

Some 135 hostages are thought to remain in Gaza.