Undercover Israeli forces kill 3 Palestinian militants in West Bank hospital

Israeli army raids a hospital in Jenin, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, January 30, 2024

JENIN, West Bank, Jan 30 (Reuters) - On Tuesday, Israeli commandos, disguised as medical workers and Muslim women, entered a hospital in the West Bank and killed three Palestinian militants, including one who was paralyzed in bed, according to witnesses and authorities.

The Israeli military stated that the operation took place at the Ibn Sina hospital in Jenin, a volatile city in the West Bank, involving the army, Shin Bet security service, and border police. The militants were identified as Mohammad Walid Jalamna, a Hamas member planning an attack, and the brothers Basel Al-Ghazzawi and Mohammad Al-Ghazzawi, affiliated with the Jenin Brigade and the armed wing of Islamic Jihad.

CCTV footage showed about 10 people, some in civilian clothes and medical attire, including three in headscarves and women's clothing, carrying assault rifles through a corridor in the hospital. The military claimed the three militants were hiding in the hospital, using civilian areas as shelters.

The Palestinian health ministry confirmed the deaths and called on the United Nations to protect health centers, condemning what it described as a "new massacre inside hospitals."

The hospital's director, Dr. Naji Nazzal, reported that the commandos executed the three men in their sleep, firing bullets into their heads. One of the victims, Basil Ayman Al-Ghazzawi, had been receiving treatment for a spinal injury that paralyzed him since Oct. 25.

The Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad and Hamas confirmed the affiliation of the militants. At the same time, the Israeli military described the operation as part of countering terrorist organizations' use of civilian areas as shelters.

The incident in Jenin follows a series of violent events in the West Bank, escalating since the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel and Israel's subsequent invasion of Gaza. Jenin, in the northern part of the West Bank, has experienced significant clashes, with repeated Israeli attacks on the Palestinian refugee camp adjoining the city.

Thousands of mourners gathered in the streets of the camp to bury the three men killed in the raid.