JABA: Three Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli border police in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, the Palestinian health ministry said, with an Israeli minister saying the suspected militants fired on the undercover officers first.
The deadly raid came just hours before Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin was due in Israel for talks and after the United Nations urged both sides to end the cycle of violence in the occupied West Bank “immediately”.
The Palestinian ministry announced the “martyrdom” of three men shot by Israeli forces in Jaba, near the flashpoint northern city of Jenin.
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who is responsible for the border police, praised the undercover officers for “taking out the despicable terrorists, who opened fire at our fighters”.
The health ministry identified the dead men as Sufyan Fakhoury, 26, Ahmed Fashafsha, 22, and Nayef Malaysha, 25. It did not provide further details.
Israeli police said special forces accompanied by soldiers had been in Jaba to arrest suspects involved in shooting attacks against soldiers in the area, including Fakhoury and Fashafsha. It said the pair were operatives of Islamic Jihad.
“During the operation, shots were fired at the border police undercover officers from the wanted men’s car. Border police undercover officers responded with fire, and killed the three armed men in the car,” police said.
“A number of guns and explosive devices were found in the vehicle,” the police statement said.
In a statement, Islamic Jihad condemned Israel for the “heinous assassination” in Jaba.
The Palestinian health ministry announced the seventh death from the Tuesday raid on Thursday – identifying him as Walid Nassar, 14.
Pentagon chief visit
Thursday’s raid came just hours before the Pentagon chief was due in Israel for talks, which have been moved from the defence ministry in Tel Aviv to Ben Gurion airport in the face of persistent Israeli protests against the hardline government that took office in December.
Israeli forces kill teen in West Bank: Palestinian ministry
“At the request of the Israeli ministry of defence, the location of Secretary Austin’s bilateral meetings Thursday in Tel Aviv with Israeli leaders will be relocated from the ministry of defence to a location near the airport,” Pentagon press secretary Brigadier General Pat Ryder said.
A senior US defence official said Israeli officials had “concerns about planned protests near the ministry of defence headquarters” in Tel Aviv.
“The US, of course, supports the right to hold peaceful and nonviolent protests and looks forward to productive discussions,” the official added.
Nine straight weeks of protests have been held in Tel Aviv by opponents of legal reforms championed by the new government, that would give politicians greater power over the courts. They have drawn tens of thousands of demonstrators.
UN Middle East peace envoy Tor Wennesland said on Wednesday that the “cycle of violence… must be stopped immediately,” calling on Israelis and Palestinians “to observe calm and restraint”.
The Palestinian health ministry announced the seventh death from the Tuesday raid on Thursday – identifying him as Walid Nassar, 14.
The violence in the occupied West Bank comes against a backdrop of rising tensions since the beginning of the year, coinciding with the tenure of Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-right government that took office in December.
Some observers fear further violence particularly around Jerusalem’s holy sites during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, which begins in late March, and the Jewish holiday of Passover in April.