Palestinians injured and arrested as Israeli forces storm Aqabat Jabr refugee camp near Jericho

Israeli forces have stormed the Aqabat Jabr refugee camp near Jericho in the occupied West Bank early on Thursday, injuring at least 10 Palestinians, one of them critically.

The attack came after the camp was surrounded by dozens of armoured Israeli military vehicles for several hours. The Israeli storming eventually came from several entry points, prompting a response from resistance fighters and local residents.

Once the Israeli forces entered the camp, they raided and vandalised around 60 houses. They said they were attempting to detain fighters. 

According to local sources, Israeli forces then prevented ambulances from reaching and evacuating the wounded for several hours amid clashes with the fighters. 
 

شبابنا ملااااح ملاااح ملااااح ✌️

استهداف آلية لجيش الاحتلال بزجاجة حارقة خلال التصدي لاقتحام مخيم #عقبة_جبر بأريحا. pic.twitter.com/N2ZmPACDU4

— AsmaAlmadhoun #وانتصرت_غزة ✌️💓 (@AsmaAlmadhoun) May 24, 2023

According to the Israeli media, at least 12 suspects were arrested during the raid, but the details of the identity and affiliation of the suspects have not been disclosed.

Aqabat Jabr has been the site of several recent incursions by Israeli forces, including one at the beginning of the month that claimed the life of 17-year-old Jibril Mohammed al-Ladda. 

This followed another deadly attack on the camp by Israel in April, during which three people, including a 15-year-old boy, were killed. 

The attack on the Aqabat Jabr camp follows another deadly Israeli raid on the Balata refugee camp in Nablus on Monday, during which three Palestinians were killed, with half a dozen more wounded.   

At least 150 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the beginning of 2023. Israel has been launching near-daily raids on Palestinian towns and cities in the West Bank since March 2022 and these intensified after the current far-right government came to power in Israel in November last year.