Jenin Death Toll Rises, Homes Set on Fire as Israel Escalates Violence in West Bank

January 23, 2025 News
Massive destruction caused by Israeli occupation forces to the town of Burqin, near Jenin. (Photo: via QNN)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Israeli forces escalate violence in the West Bank, killing two Palestinians in a drone strike amid the ongoing military operation in Jenin.

Israeli occupation forces have killed two more Palestinians in a drone attack in the occupied West Bank amid an ongoing military operation in Jenin city and refugee camp.

Two young men, aged 25 and 30, were killed on Thursday morning by Israeli army fire in the town of Burqin, west of Jenin, the Health ministry said in a statement cited by the Anadolu news agency. Their bodies were abducted by the Israeli army, it added.

According to Anadolu, the Israeli Channel 14 reported that they were behind a January 6 attack that left three illegal Jewish settlers dead near Al-Fanduq village, east of Qalqilya city.

The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that Israeli forces surrounded a house in the town and fired several missiles from a drone and ‘Energa’ shells at it. They then demolished the besieged house and detained the bodies of the two slain youths, who were from the town of Qabatiya.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said its crew treated the owner of the house, a 60-year-old man, who was injured in the right foot with shrapnel from live bullets.

Operation Iron Wall

At least 12 Palestinians have been killed and dozens injured since Israel launched a large-scale military operation dubbed The Iron Wall in Jenin and the refugee camp on Tuesday, just days after a ceasefire in Gaza.

 

The military operation has resulted in massive destruction to homes, roads and other infrastructure including the surroundings of the Jenin Government Hospital.

Homes Set Alight

On Thursday, Israeli occupation forces set fire to several homes in the refugee camp, WAFA reported.

They also forced the families of Ahmed, Fayyad and Ibrahim Abu al-Salama to evacuate their homes and turned them into military barracks.

Elsewhere across the West Bank, Israeli occupation forces continued to impose arbitrary measures at military checkpoints near most of the entrances and exits of the governorates in the West Bank, reported WAFA.

Jerusalem

The Israeli occupation forces tightened their military measures on Thursday at the Qalandiya, Jaba, Shuafat refugee camp, and the container checkpoints surrounding the occupied city of Jerusalem.

WAFA reported that the occupation forces were conducting thorough inspections of citizens’ IDs and vehicles. This hinders their movement and negatively affects their daily lives, especially in commuting to work and school, and receiving basic services.

Nablus, Jericho

In Nablus, Israeli forces tightened their military measures, setting up checkpoints around the governorate, and shut most of the iron gates set up at the entrances to villages and towns.

WAFA reported that vehicles at the Al-Murabba’a and Awarta checkpoints in the south and Beit Furik in the east are subjected to a thorough inspection.

The Israeli occupation forces also placed new concrete blocks at the Beit Furik military checkpoint east of Nablus on Thursday and closed it to the entry of vehicles.

The occupation forces stationed at military checkpoints surrounding the main and secondary entrances to the city of Jericho continued to prevent citizens from leaving it.

Ramallah and Al-Bireh

Israeli occupation forces also set up military checkpoints in several areas in the Ramallah and Al-Bireh governorate and detained three Palestinians after raiding several towns and villages.

WAFA reported that a checkpoint was set up at the entrance to the town of Aboud, northwest of Ramallah, which is witnessing a stifling crisis, while the gate of the village of Nabi Saleh, northwest of Ramallah, was closed, forcing citizens to take long distances to reach alternative routes.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces detained three Palestinians after storming the towns of Silwad and Kobar and the village of Rammun in the Ramallah and Al-Bireh governorate.

Hebron, Qalqiliya

The Israeli occupation forces tightened their punitive measures against the residents of Hebron (Al Khalil), and closed the checkpoints set up at the entrances to the governorate’s towns and villages. This hindered the movement of citizens, forcing them to spend the night at those checkpoints waiting to be allowed to pass, reported WAFA.

Elsewhere, the Israeli army tightened their military measures at the Tayasir and Hamra military checkpoints in the northern Jordan Valley.

The Israeli army also tightened their military measures around the Qalqiliya governorate, closing the entrance to the villages of Nabi Elias and Hajjah to the east with an iron gate, preventing citizens from moving.

The soldiers also set up a military checkpoint at the western entrance to the town of Azzun and a checkpoint at the eastern entrance to the city of Qalqilya. They stopped the vehicles of residents,  searched them, and checked the identities of their passengers, which caused a traffic jam.

Scores Detained

At least 22 Palestinians from the West Bank, including a female citizen and former detainees were detained on Wednesday evening into the early hours of Thursday, reported WAFA.

Dozens Killed, Injured in Jenin – Israel Launches ‘Iron Wall’ Operation in Jenin

The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society said in a joint statement that the detention operations were distributed across the governorates of Hebron, Nablus, Tulkarm, Ramallah, and Jerusalem.

UN Special Rapporteur

The UN Rapporteur on Human Rights in Palestine, Francesca Albanese, said on Wednesday that “Israel’s presence in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip is illegal,” the Middle East Monitor (MEMO) reported, citing the Palestinian Information Centre.

Israel must be forced to leave the occupied Palestinian territories, she added.

Regarding the situation in the Gaza Strip, the UN Rapporteur pointed out that the “ceasefire in Gaza is fragile and must be maintained.”

“If not forced Israel’s genocide of Palestinians will not be confined to Gaza. Mark my words,” Albanese said on X.

(PC, WAFA, Anadolu)

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