Palestinian security forces crack down on militants in the West Bank

Palestinian security forces have launched a rare crackdown against local militant groups in the northern West Bank, sending in armoured cars and engaging in fierce gun battles that have killed at least two people in the volatile area.

Forces sent by the Palestinian Authority begun their raid Jenin on Saturday and operated through the weekend and into Monday.

The group govern semi-autonomous pockets of the occupied West Bank, which is largely controlled by Israel. They have largely lost control of areas such as Jenin, a militant stronghold.

The militant groups Islamic Jihad and Hamas operate freely across Jenin, and its streets are regularly lined with posters depicting slain fighters as martyrs to the Palestinian struggle.

The UN humanitarian office said that security forces took over part of a hospital in Jenin, using it as a base and shooting from inside. Forces detained at least eight men, pulling one out of the hospital on a stretcher, the UN said.

Palestinian security forces said two men died in the crackdown: a 19-year-old civilian, Rabhi Shalabi, who was shot whilst riding a motorcycle, and an Islamic Jihad militant, Yazi Jaayseh.

Security forces, which initially denied killing Shalab, have not said why they targeted the young man. His 15-year-old cousin, who was also on the motorcycle, was shot in the head and wounded.

UN officials, citing local video footage, have said the pair were unarmed and delivering food from a family restaurant when killed, and that Shalabi raised both hands in the air as an indicator of innocence.

An unpopular show of force

Israeli troops have launched regular raids in the West Bank in recent years, particularly since the 7 October Hamas militant attack. Palestinian health officials say 811 Palestinians have been killed since then in the West Bank, most by Israeli raids into Palestinian cities and towns.

Operations by Palestinian security forces, however, are rare and generally criticised by the Palestinian population in the West Bank, where many people accuse the Palestinian Authority of collaborating with their Israeli occupiers.

The Israeli military said it was not involved in the operation and did not comment further.

The security forces are “operating according to a clear political vision” from Palestinian leadership “on the importance of imposing order, establishing the rule of law, restoring civil peace and societal security,” spokesman Anwar Rajab said of the raid.

He added the troops were focused on removing groups backed by Iran that were trying to incite “chaos and anarchy.”

Hamas senior official Mahmoud Mardawi slammed the operation in Jenin as an “attempt to end the resistance.” In comments released by Hamas late Monday, he urged the Palestinian Authority to immediately stop its “unpatriotic behaviour that serves the occupation.”

The US has sought to strengthen the Palestinian Authority, hoping it will help run the Gaza Strip after the war. White House officials declined to comment publicly on their position on the operation.

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Overall, since the start of the war, the UN says that at least seven Palestinians have been killed by Palestinian security forces, and at least 24 Israelis have also been killed by Palestinian attackers in the West Bank.