12 Palestinians killed in 24 hours of Israeli attacks on West Bank

Israeli forces have killed 12 Palestinians in the West Bank in the last 24 hours, raising the total number of Palestinians killed by Israel in the occupied territory since the 7 of October to 212, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Early on Saturday, Israeli forces launched an airstrike on a building in the Balata refugee camp in Nablus, in the centre-north of the occupied West Bank, killing five Palestinians.

The targeted building was a headquarters for the Fatah movement, the largest Palestinian political faction.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said in an initial statement that its medics had treated seven wounded Palestinians following the strike. Their wounds were described as "very serious".

The injured were transferred to the Rafidia hospital in the city, where five were later pronounced dead.

The Israeli occupation forces continue raiding Balata refugee camp in Nablus city. 18.11.23

قوات الاحتلال تواصل اقتحام مخيم بلاطة في نابلس. pic.twitter.com/W2LeOIYsBE

— Palestine Now. (@PalestineNW) November 18, 2023

Earlier on Friday, Israeli forces killed five Palestinians in the refugee camp of Jenin, during a military raid that lasted for 10 hours.

During the raid, Israeli forces launched air strikes at three locations in the Jenin refugee camp and surrounded the Ibn Sina hospital. Medical sources at the hospital reported that Israeli troops called on the medical staff to evacuate the hospital through loudspeakers. Israeli soldiers also searched several medical workers and arrested them.

Israeli media quoted Israeli forces as saying that they had targeted an armed Palestinian cell in Jenin that had opened fire on Israeli forces previously. Israeli forces were also quoted saying that some members of the Palestinian cell had taken refuge in the hospital.

Also on Friday, Israeli forces killed two Palestinians in Hebron, south of the West Bank, after opening fire on their car. The two victims were Mohammad Abu Maizar and Abdul Rahman Abu Sneineh, both in their twenties. Israeli forces claimed that the two men opened fire at their soldiers first. No details on the incident were given from the Palestinian side.

Tge Israeli army besieged Ibn Sina hospital in Jenin in the West Bank and subjected the medical team their to interrogation after forcing them to get out of thd hospital pic.twitter.com/BuwAFsgQeU

— Mustafa Barghouti @Mustafa_Barghouti (@MustafaBarghou1) November 17, 2023

Israeli forces have increased their raids on Palestinian cities since the 7 of October, including the use of airstrikes. Earlier in October, Israeli forces air-bombed a mosque in the Jenin refugee camp, killing two Palestinians. Residents in Jenin told The New Arab that Israeli drones have also bombed houses in the camp.

"All the residents now live in constant anguish of air strikes, and many families leave the camp at night and sleep at the homes of relatives or friends in the city or surrounding villages," Najat Abu Butmeh, director of the Women and Children Centre in the camp, told TNA.

"My family and I are among them, but I come to the camp during the day to open the centre and provide a relatively safe environment for children, who are all scared of going to school in the morning," said Abu Butmeh.

"The psychological impact on them for having to leave their homes is very hard, and they all need advanced treatment because the shock is constant as the conditions in Jenin are only getting worse," she added.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club reported on Saturday that Israeli forces arrested at least 40 Palestinians overnight, bringing the number of Palestinians arrested in the West Bank since the 7 of October to 2,800.

The total number of Palestinians held in Israeli jails currently stands at 7,000, including 200 children, and 2,200 detainees without charges under the Israeli administrative setention system.