Israeli forces murder at least nine Palestinians in overnight West Bank raids

West Bank: Israeli forces conducted a series of overnight raids in the occupied West Bank, resulting in the deaths of at least nine Palestinians and numerous injuries.

In Jenin, at least five Palestinians were killed when Israeli military personnel destroyed the homes of two wanted individuals and damaged several monuments in and around the Jenin refugee camp, a frequent site of resistance to Israeli occupation, reported Al Jazeera.

The assault in Jenin, the sixth in the past two weeks, began around 22:00 GMT and lasted approximately nine hours. Over the last two years, the Jenin refugee camp has become a focal point for Palestinian resistance against Israeli occupation forces.

In the al-Fawwar refugee camp south of Hebron, Israeli forces engaged with Palestinians for nearly three hours, leading to the deaths of two individuals and injuries to at least five more. Israeli forces detained three Palestinians during the operation, including the parents of a wanted individual, a tactic regularly used to pressure Palestinians into surrendering to Israeli authorities.

In the Qalandiya refugee camp north of occupied East Jerusalem, an early morning raid resulted in one Palestinian killed and several others injured. Another Palestinian succumbed to injuries sustained during an Israeli raid in Nablus on Wednesday.

Israeli forces were also reported to be conducting raids in Tulkarm, and confrontations were ongoing. Israel has maintained its occupation of the West Bank since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, regularly conducting incursions into Palestinian communities.

Violence in the West Bank has escalated since early last year, characterised by frequent Israeli army raids, attacks by Israeli settlers, and Palestinian assaults on Israeli forces and settlers.

More than 9,000 people have been killed in Israel’s bombardment, two-thirds of them women and children since October 7.