Palestinians mourn teenager and three men shot dead by Israeli forces after Jenin killing spree

Thousands of mourners filled the streets of the occupied West Bank city of Jenin for the funeral of four Palestinians, including a teenager, killed by Israeli forces on Thursday.

The procession began in front of the Jenin Governmental Hospital, before heading towards the main roundabout in the city as mourners gathered in their hundreds to pay their respects, Fatah spokesperson Firas Abu al-Wafa told The New Arab’s Arabic-language sister site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

In pictures and videos shared online, the mourners can be heard chanting patriotic Palestinian slogans condemning Israel's occupation, while the Palestinian national flag - as well as ones representing other national factions - were raised during the march.

It was the latest in Israel's many killing sprees and massacres in the occupied West Bank this year.

تغطية صحفية: "بينهم مقـــــــــــــــاومان... هتافات المشاركين في جنازة الفلسطينيين الأربعة الذين ارتقوا برصاص قوات الاحتلال في جنين اليوم". pic.twitter.com/hfk7uvtr5E

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) March 16, 2023

The four victims in Jenin were named as 16-year-old Omar Awadin, Yousef Saleh Shreim, 29, Nidal Amin Khazem, 28, and 37-year-old Louay Khalil Al-Zghir. 

The bodies of the deceased were then taken to their respective homes where families bid a final farewell to their sons, before being taken to the Jenin refugee camp’s grand mosque where funeral prayers were held. The men were subsequently buried in the city's martyrs' cemetery.

Jenin residents observed a one-day general strike on Friday to protest the Israeli killings, according to the Palestinian Wafa agency, citing Fattah official Ata Abu Rmeileh.

صور: انطلاق جنازة الشهداء الأربعة الذين ارتقوا برصاص قوات الاحتلال في جنين عصر اليوم. pic.twitter.com/rkcJAEOHnX

— فلسطين الآن (@paltimes2015) March 16, 2023

The official said that business, schools, and universities - as well as other facilities - closed their doors, while public transportation ground to a halt.

The men and teenager were reportedly killed by undercover Israeli soldiers, according to Wafa, with videos on social media showing the armed Israeli men wearing plain clothes as they raided and shot at the men in the downtown area of the occupied city.

Shreim and Khazem were confirmed members of the Jenin Brigades, while Awadin was described as just a passer-by.

Twenty Palestinians were also wounded in the raid, four critically.

President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the killings, describing them as brutal murders at the hands of Israeli forces.

Palestinian Authority spokesperson, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, said: "These continuous Israeli aggressive actions confirm that Israel is not at all interested in calming the situation and preventing its eruption, contrary to all international efforts seeking to prevent escalation during the [upcoming] holy month of Ramadan."

Thursday's killings were the latest in a series of killings and massacres carried out by Israeli forces in the West Bank in recent weeks.

Earlier this year, Jenin was the site of a raid that killed 11 Palestinians, including an elderly woman, while six Palestinians were killed in early March in what has been described as one of the "bloodiest moments" in recent Palestinian memory.

At least 88 Palestinians, including 16 children, have been killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank so far in 2023, according to the Palestinian health ministry since a far-right government came to power in Israel.