Israeli Occupation Forces Use Helicopter Gunships during Jenin Raid (+Video)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Videos released by Palestinian media on Monday depict an Israeli Apache helicopter launching a missile and deploying flares above the city of Jenin, as heavy clashes erupted in the occupied northern West Bank city, leading to the killing of at least three Palestinians.
Footage captured the repeated striking of an area near a building by helicopter missiles, marking the first airstrike in the West Bank in years. The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed that at least 31 Palestinians were wounded, with some in serious and critical condition due to live ammunition, as reported by the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.
The victims were identified by the ministry as Khaled Asa’sah, 21, Ahmad Saqer, 15, and Qassam Abu Siryie, 29. Violent clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian gunmen erupted in the Jenin refugee camp and the al-Jabriyat neighborhood. Palestinian resistance fighters detonated homemade explosives as Israeli military vehicles passed by, resulting in damaged and set-on-fire vehicles.
Videos shared by Palestinian media outlets showed Israeli army vehicles engulfed in smoke, indicating that they had been hit by homemade explosive devices. Other footage showed Israeli military vehicles under fire, with the sound of gunfire and explosions reverberating throughout the city.
TV7 Israel News reported that at least six Israeli troops were wounded when an explosion targeted their military jeep. The channel stated that an explosive device had struck and penetrated the jeep. The injured soldiers were then evacuated amid gunfire to the Gilboa (al-Jalama) crossing before being transferred to nearby hospitals by helicopters.
In a separate statement, the Jenin Brigades, a local branch of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad resistance group, claimed responsibility for detonating explosive devices near Israeli military vehicles and subsequently targeting them with gunfire.
Tensions in the occupied West Bank have been escalating over the past year, with the Israeli military conducting violent raids under the pretext of apprehending individuals it deems "wanted." As a result, approximately 160 Palestinians, including 28 children, have lost their lives, and numerous others have been arrested in 2023.