New massacre in Jenin as Israeli troops raid West Bank

Israeli troops on Tuesday killed six Palestinian and 11 wounded in a raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, the Palestinian health ministry said.

In a new rampage of violence, Israeli troops attacked Jenin while settlers stormed the Palestinian town of Hawash.

The Israel army said "security forces are currently operating in the Jenin (refugee) camp" in the northern West Bank.

Israeli and Palestinian sources said that among the six Palestinians killed was Abdul Fattah Hussein Khrousheh, 49, who the military accused of being behind a fatal attack on two Israeli settlers last month, according to Haaretz.

The Israeli military said his two sons were among those detained in another raid on a Nablus refugee camp.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has praised the killing of Khrousheh. Jenin Governor Akram Rajoub said that the raids ignored any agreements made in Aqaba, Jordan between the PA and Israel last month and will add to tensions. 

Meanwhile, four Palestinians, including one young girl, were hospitalised after further attacks by settlers in the occupied West Bank town of Hawara on Monday, during the festival of Purim. 

Settlers returned to the streets of Hawara after last week's rampage, which resulted in one Palestinian killed, hurling stones at residents, cars, and businesses. 

WATCH: Israeli settlers attack a Palestinian family sitting in their car during yet another violent Israeli rampage in the Palestinian town of Huwara.

After top Israeli politicians praised the settler attacks in Huwara last week, they've returned to terrorize the town again. pic.twitter.com/bqu8LhM4bl

— IMEU (@theIMEU) March 6, 2023

"The pogroms in Hawara continue also as part of the settlers' Purim celebrations, backed by the government and lack of enforcement by the authorities," said Israeli human rights group Yesh Din. 

Videos also show soldiers and settlers playing electronic music in Palestinian residential areas and dancing together to celebrate the Jewish festival. 

The Israeli army published a statement in response saying the video "is not consistent with what is expected of soldiers during operational activity". 

There have been constant reports of Israeli soldiers guarding settlers during violent raids of Palestinians towns such as Hawara.

תיעוד שיוצא הערב מחווארה.
מתנחלים חוגגים את חג הפורים, רוקדים בגיבוי החיילים. זה מופע של עליונות יהודית- וניצחון המתנחלים על הפלסטינים שעדיין לא התאוששו מאירועי חווארה.
זה מזכיר את חגיגת הוויסקי והסושי של רוטמן, אחרי שהעביר בקריאה ראשונה את החוק להפיכה משפטית.
זה אותו כוח הרסני. pic.twitter.com/XJhfzi0VBD

— Sheren Falah Saab شيرين فلاح صعب (@FalahSaab) March 6, 2023

Hawara is situated in the West Bank, Palestinian land illegally occupied by Israel since 1967.

Last week Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for the town to be "wiped out", before appearing to retract his statement. 

His comments were slammed as "repugnant" and "disgusting" by the US State Department.

Prior to that, far-right Israeli lawmaker Zvika Fogel called for Hawara to be "burned and closed" and appeared to approve a settler rampage through the occupied West Bank town on 26 February, setting hundreds of cars and homes on fire, and killing at least one Palestinian. 

The pogrom followed the killing of two Israeli settlers, which was preceded a few days before by an earlier Israeli massacre in the city of Nablus, where soldiers killed at least 11 Palestinians.

Israel has launched near-daily raids in the West Bank since March 2022, killing at least 65 Palestinians since the beginning of 2023. The violence this year has been described as the "bloodiest" in recent Palestinian memory.