Jenin refugee camp residents defiant after deadly Israeli assault

In Umm Yousif’s neighbourhood, nearly every home and car is riddled with bullet holes and broken windows after what residents describe as a “massacre”.

The children here are not playing with marbles, but with the bullet casings strewn across the tight alleyways and adjacent rooftops following a deadly Israeli raid on Thursday in the Jenin refugee camp.

“All the glass in my house shattered. We were all lying on the floor for two hours while there were sounds of explosions above our heads,” said the 47-year-old mother of four children.

“We were expecting to die at any second.”

Nine residents, including two children, were killed during the Israeli assault that revived memories from 2002 when another large-scale raid and confrontations turned Jenin into a symbol of Palestinian resistance. A tenth person succumbed to his wounds on Sunday, while several others remain hospitalised after being wounded by live ammunition.

Five of the 10 Palestinians killed were said to be armed resistance fighters, while the five others were unarmed civilians, according to residents.

During the raid, Israeli forces in a military vehicle ran over and killed a 16-year-old child, according to a civil society group. A 61-year-old mother of six was also shot dead through her bedroom window after she had just finished praying.

Palestinian officials said Israeli forces also shot at ambulance vehicles, preventing them from advancing to treat the wounded, and fired tear gas towards the Jenin public hospital that seeped into the children’s ward, which Israeli officials denied was intentional.

Five of the 10 Palestinians killed were said to be armed resistance fighters, while the five others were unarmed civilians, according to residents.

During the raid, Israeli forces in a military vehicle ran over and killed a 16-year-old child, according to a civil society group. A 61-year-old mother of six was also shot dead through her bedroom window after she had just finished praying.

Palestinian officials said Israeli forces also shot at ambulance vehicles, preventing them from advancing to treat the wounded, and fired tear gas towards the Jenin public hospital that seeped into the children’s ward, which Israeli officials denied was intentional.

‘Back to 2002’

The largest Israeli military raid on the Jenin refugee camp in more than 20 years took place just before 7am (05:00 GMT).

In a joint operation with Israeli intelligence and police, the army surrounded a home in the camp’s Joret al-Dahab neighbourhood – where three resistance fighters were taking shelter – and launched a surprise attack on it with anti-tank missiles and explosives.

The house was almost completely destroyed and caught fire. The men inside it – Mohammad Soboh, 30, and brothers Nour al-Din and Mohammad Ghneim, 28 and 25 respectively – were killed.

Another fighter, Izz al-Din Salahat, 21, was shot dead up the street from the house, as he was firing back at soldiers.

Armed clashes ensued with Palestinian fighters for several hours before the Israeli forces withdrew, leaving behind them a trail of blood and destruction – and a heavy toll on residents.

“In 2002, 50 Palestinians were martyred over 13 days. On Thursday we had nine martyrs in one day,” 28-year-old resident Mahmoud Salawneh told Al Jazeera.