Israeli army plans to storm Jenin hospital amid West Bank offensive: Palestinian official

By Qais Abu Samra

JENIN CITY, Palestine (AA) – The Israeli army plans to break into the Jenin Governmental Hospital amid a military operation in the northern occupied West Bank, a Palestinian official said on Wednesday.

Speaking to Anadolu, Jenin Governor Kamal Abu al-Rub said the Israeli army notified the Palestinian Civil Liaison, a contact point with Israel, of its intention to storm the facility.

“The Israeli army may storm the hospital at any moment,” he said, calling for international action to stop the Israeli war against Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The hospital is located near the Jenin refugee camp around which the Israeli army has slapped a tight siege since early morning.

At least 11 Palestinians have been killed in the ongoing Israeli military operation in the northern West Bank, including Jenin, Tulkarem and Tubas, according to the Health Ministry.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said early Wednesday that the army operation includes the “temporary evacuation of Palestinian residents" from areas in the northern West Bank.

Tension has been running high across the occupied West Bank amid a brutal Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 40,500, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7, 2023.

At least 662 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 5,400 others injured in the occupied territory, according to Palestinian figures.

In a landmark opinion on July 19, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land unlawful and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar