Eyewitnesses call Israel's military raid on West Bank a ‘war’

By Mucahit Aydemir

JENIN, Palestine (AA) – The Palestinians who witnessed the Israeli army raid on Monday in the northern West Bank city of Jenin, which killed six Palestinians and injured 91 others, likened it to a "war."

Mohammed Abu Hatab, 39, a resident of Jenin, told Anadolu on Tuesday that they woke up early in the morning to the sound of heavy gunfire, thinking “there was a war.”

“It lasted for almost 10 hours. Our house was hit by bullets. Then there was bombardment by a helicopter. The sound of the bombardment was terrible. The explosions never stopped,” he recalled the moments with horror.

Hatab said their personal vehicles were also damaged by the raiding soldiers.

Mahmud Sadi, another resident of the region, said the Israeli soldiers “acted with revenge when they encountered an unexpected resistance.”

“They raided to arrest our people. They encountered resistance and some of their soldiers were wounded,” he said.

Sadi also pointed that Israeli soldiers did not expect resistance from Palestinians.

“They started shooting indiscriminately at everything, including houses, ambulances, journalists,” he told Anadolu.

- Israeli helicopters target mosque

According to witnesses and images shared on social media in the area, Apache helicopters belonging to the Israeli army also struck the Munzir Mosque in Jenin.

According to the images taken by Anadolu, the interior of the mosque was severely damaged, with walls and columns riddled with bullet holes and windows broken.

Six Palestinians were killed and 91 others injured, including 23 in critical condition, when Israeli forces raided Jenin early Monday, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Seven Israeli soldiers were wounded in an ambush of an armored vehicle during the raid, according to the Israel army.

An Israeli military helicopter fired missiles at a residential building during the raid, marking the first use of military aircraft by Israel in the West Bank since 2002, according to witnesses.

-Condemnations

The Israeli raid in Jenin drew a wave of condemnations from several countries, including Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Türkiye, and the EU.

Tensions have been running high across the occupied West Bank in recent months amid repeated Israeli raids into Palestinian towns.

Nearly 165 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the start of this year, according to Palestinian figures. At least 21 Israelis have also been killed in separate attacks during the same period.

*Writing by Alperen Aktas in Istanbul