Israeli forces shoot dead two Palestinian children, one aged 9, in huge Jenin raid

Two Palestinian boys, one aged just nine, were killed in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on Wednesday as the Israeli forces pressed on with a large-scale military attack from the night before, leaving behind a trail of destruction.

In one CCTV footage shared on social media, a boy could be seen trying to escape before being hit by a bullet. He was pulled away from the street by another young man, bleeding.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society confirmed the boy’s death, naming him as nine-year-old Adam Samer Al-Ghoul.

Basil Suleiman Abu Al-Wafa, 15, pronounced dead by the Palestinian health ministry after being shot by Israeli soldiers. 

تغطية صحفية: لحظة اعــدام جنود الاحتلال طفلاً يبلغ من العمر (9 سنوات) بعد اطلاق النار عليه في جنين قبل قليل pic.twitter.com/XaHxCEXKDj

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) November 29, 2023

Israeli forces "declared the city of Jenin and its camp a closed military zone", the city’s mayor, Nidal Obeidi, told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday.

He said Israeli soldiers besieged a number of the city’s hospitals - including the government one - and brought heavy damage to the infrastructure, while gunfire and explosions could be heard.

"Sweeping [through] and vandalising streets and infrastructure has become a common occurrence every time the army storms the city and the camp," said Obeidi, noting that the Jenin municipality carried out renovation works five times this year after Israeli raids, costing millions of dollars.

He added that a number of Jenin’s residents were arrested. It was not clear how many were detained.

Israeli forces blew up houses, causing extensive damage and forcing people out of their homes. Videos of some of the destruction and Israeli forces pulling out of Jenin were shared online.

تغطية صحفية: دمار كبير في حارة الدمج في مخيم جنين بعد تفجير قوات الاحتلال لعدة منازل وتجريفها pic.twitter.com/OsSudwBOCc

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) November 29, 2023

تغطية صحفية: قوات كبيرة من جيش الاحتلال تنسحب من حارة الدمج في مخيم جنين بعد إجبارها الأهالي على الخروج من منازلهم وتفجير جدرانها وتخريبها. pic.twitter.com/SIbuoLqF41

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) November 29, 2023

There were unconfirmed reports in Israeli media that the leader of the Jenin Battalion - affiliated with the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad faction and who takes the Jenin camp as its base - was killed by Israel.

The raid in Jenin and clashes that ensued with Palestinian residents began late on Tuesday when Israeli forces stormed the city and its refugee camp.

Jenin has seen some of Israel’s deadliest raids in the West Bank over the past few months.

Israeli troops, accompanied by bulldozers, stormed the city from several directions, deployed snipers on the roofs of high rises, and imposed a complete siege on the camp.

Since the start of the Gaza war on 7 October, the West Bank has seen a dramatic increase in violence by Israeli forces and illegal settlers.

Thousands have been arrested, and more than 200 Palestinians were killed in this period alone.

Western leaders have voiced concern about the growing Israeli violence in the occupied territory, urging Israel to curb settler attacks.

Unprecedented Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip has killed around 15,000 people, most of them civilians.

A Qatari, US and Egyptian-mediated truce between Hamas and Israel has been held since Friday, 24 November, which saw an exchange of Hamas-held hostages and Israeli-held Palestinian prisoners.