Jenin Brigades commander killed as PA forces raid occupied West Bank camp

Fighting has erupted in the Jenin refugee camp between Palestinian security forces and the Jenin Brigades, leaving a commander from the occupied West Bank armed group dead and several other people injured.

The fighting at dawn came five days after Palestinian Authority (PA) forces surrounded the camp and is, according to PA spokesperson Brigadier General Anwar Rajab, the penultimate stage of “Operation Protect the Homeland”.

Jenin Brigades commander killed

Rajab neither confirmed nor denied the death of a Jenin Brigades commander.

However, sources confirmed to our colleagues from Al Jazeera Arabic that commander Yazid Ja’ayseh had been killed, according to the alliance of armed Palestinian groups, the Popular Resistance Committees.

Tensions have further escalated in the occupied territory after the PA arrested several armed fighters earlier this month.

On Thursday, the PA also admitted that its forces were responsible for the death of a 19-year-old Palestinian man during clashes with fighters in Jenin.

The security forces had initially claimed Rahbi Shalabi was beaten to death by “lawbreakers”, but later admitted “full responsibility” for his death.

After the clashes that killed Shalabi and wounded a 16-year-old relative of his, Hamas condemned the PA security forces, which is dominated by its political rival Fatah.