Three Palestinians killed in Jenin

• Three Palestinian males were killed during an Israeli raid in Jenin.
• Siqdi Zakarneh, 29, Atta Shalabi, 46, and Tareq al-Damaj, 29, were assassinated.
• Their death was revealed around 5:30am.

Three Palestinian males were killed during an Israeli raid in Jenin, the latest victims in months of near-daily operations in the occupied West Bank.

Siqdi Zakarneh, 29, Atta Shalabi, 46, and Tareq al-Damaj, 29, were assassinated Thursday morning.

Their death was revealed around 5:30am (02:30 GMT).

Zakarneh, al-Damaj, and Shalabi were from Jenin’s refugee camp.

Local journalists reported Al Jazeera that at least two more Palestinian males were hurt by Israeli fire during the operation.

Schools, companies, and stores are closed in Jenin governorate to mourn the three men.

The Israeli army, including special forces, attacked Jenin and its refugee camp at early on Thursday and captured numerous wanted Palestinian resistance militants.

Sidqi Zakarneh was a warrior, whereas Shalabi and al-Damaj were civilians, according to Mujahed al-Saadi.

Al-Saadi and local media stated Zakarneh was linked with the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, the armed wing of Fatah, but it’s unclear if he was fighting when he was shot.

Zakarneh was shot in his car, witnesses said. Al Jazeera producer Ali al-Samoudi, stationed in Jenin, stated no weapons were found on him.

Atta Shalabi and his brother were driving to work when they saw Zakarneh dead in his car.

“As Atta approached Zakarneh, the Israeli army shot him,” al-Samoudi stated, citing Shalabi’s brother Mohammad.

According to his brother, Shalabi worked in Israel. He had a work permit and was headed to Jenin’s Jalameh checkpoint.

Al-killing Damaj’s is uncertain.

After the incident, the Israeli military said its soldiers were “targeted with direct fire and reacted with live fire” during an arrest raid near Jenin.

PA spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said the “Israeli occupation government is trying to ignite the region by continuing its crimes against the Palestinian people,” adding that the frequent killings of Palestinians are creating “an explosive situation.”

Bajes Kayed and Khaled Misbah Abu al-Hayja, both former Israeli detainees, were arrested, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society.

Israeli troops shot at Palestinian Red Crescent ambulances, local media said. Online videos revealed bullet wounds on the ambulance’s windshield and inside.

The three men were killed less than 24 hours after an Israeli soldier killed a Palestinian near Ramallah.

Mujahed al-Najjar, 32, was recognized. Al-Najjar was killed in a firefight with the Israeli army in Deir Dibwan, residents told Al Jazeera.

Israeli authorities believe al-Najjar was behind recent shootings at Ofra, which was built on Silwad land.

Israeli soldiers arrested al-Najjar’s father and brother in Silwad on Thursday.

Since last year, tensions have risen in the occupied West Bank and Israel.

Israeli army raids and killings of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are near-daily, along with a rise in Palestinian armed attacks and settler attacks against Palestinians.

The raids have targeted Jenin and Nablus, where Palestinian resistance is growing.

In 2022, Israel killed more than 200 Palestinians, including more than 50 children, in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. It was the deadliest year for Palestinians since 2006.

Israel has lost 25 lives.

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