Palestinians rise up in anger against killing of four people by Israel in Jenin raid

Over 150 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli raids this year alone with 36 deaths being recorded in Jenin. Protests have been taking place across the occupied territories against these atrocities

September 29, 2022 by Peoples Dispatch
Israeli raid in Jenin
(Photo: Al-Jarmaq News/Twitter)

A general strike was observed by residents of Jenin in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, September 29, to mourn the killing of four Palestinians in an Israeli military raid on a refugee camp in the city on Wednesday.  

Israeli occupation forces raided the refugee camp on Wednesday morning, killing four Palestinians and wounding at least 44 others, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Israeli forces stormed the camp in dozens of vehicles, surrounded the home of Fathi Hazem and began firing anti-tank missiles. They also fired live ammunition at people protesting the raid.

Several of those injured were in a critical condition and admitted to local hospitals.   

The Palestinians killed in the Israeli raid have been identified as Abdelrahmani Hazem (27), Mohammad Al Wanaa (30), Ahmed Nathmi Alawneh (26), and Mohammad Abu Nas’eh. 

Later in the day, thousands of Palestinians took part in the funeral procession of those killed in Jenin. As news of the killings spread, Palestinians in different parts of the occupied territories, including Hebron and Ramallah, took out protests demanding freedom for Palestine and justice for the victims of Israeli occupation.  

Israel has regularly carried out raids in Jenin and other Palestinian localities in the recent past, supposedly to arrest suspects involved in attacks on Israeli citizens. At least 36 Palestinians, including Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, have been killed in Jenin alone in such raids since the beginning of the year. The total number of Palestinians killed in Israeli raids this year is more than 150. 

In a statement following the killings, Israeli security forces claimed that they went to Jenin to arrest Abd al-Rahman Hazem, brother of Raad Hazem, who was allegedly responsible for an attack in Tel Aviv in April, Times of Israel reported.   

Tor Wennesland, UN special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, briefed the UN Security Council on Wednesday about the deteriorating situation in the West Bank and increasing Israeli violations of Palestinian rights. He called for immediate steps to end the occupation.  

“The absence of a meaningful peace process to end the Israeli occupation and resolve the conflict is fueling a dangerous deterioration across the occupied Palestinian territories, in the West Bank, and driving the perception that the conflict is unresolvable,” Wennesland said. He alleged that Israel has continued to violate relevant UN resolutions and meted out unnecessary violence against Palestinians without any repercussions. 

Reacting to the killings in Jenin, Palestinian Authority presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh demanded action against such Israeli acts that cross “all red lines,” saying that mere condemnation is not enough. He said that Israel has no regard for Palestinian lives and behaves like a “rouge state” by violating international laws and norms.