Israeli soldiers fired warning shots on Wednesday during a visit by foreign diplomats to the occupied West Bank, prompting an apology from the Israeli military after the Palestinian Authority accused the troops of “deliberately” targeting the delegation.
The incident occurred in Jenin, a city in the northern West Bank frequently subjected to Israeli military operations. AFP footage captured the delegation and accompanying journalists scrambling for cover as gunshots rang out. No injuries were reported.
The Palestinian foreign ministry condemned “the heinous crime committed by the Israeli occupation forces, which deliberately targeted by live fire an accredited diplomatic delegation to the State of Palestine during a field visit.”
In response, the Israeli military stated that “the delegation deviated from the approved route and entered an area where they were not authorized to be.”
“Soldiers operating in the area fired warning shots to distance them away,” the statement added, noting that the military “regrets the inconvenience caused.”
An AFP journalist reported hearing shots from the direction of the Jenin refugee camp. A video released by the Palestinian foreign ministry shows two men in Israeli army uniforms aiming weapons at a group of individuals from behind a metal gate as gunfire is heard.
While AFP has not independently verified the video, a journalist on the ground said the footage appears to be from the eastern entrance of the camp. The Israeli military has recently installed such gates at various camp entrances amid a broader crackdown on militant activity.
A European diplomat present during the visit described the scene to AFP: “We were doing a visit with the governor of Jenin to the border of the camp to see the destruction.”
“It was the last part of the visit, and suddenly we heard shots coming from the camp. It was not like once or twice. It was like repeated shots. So at that moment, we just all started running back to the cars,” the diplomat said.
Ahmad al-Deek, political advisor to the Palestinian foreign ministry, who led the delegation, told AFP: “We condemn this reckless act by the Israeli army, especially at a time when it had given the diplomatic delegation an impression of the life the Palestinian people are living.”
Since Israel launched a large-scale military operation in the northern West Bank earlier this year, the Jenin refugee camp has been largely depopulated and brought under military control.
According to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), some 16,000 people had been displaced from Jenin as of March 31 due to the ongoing military operations.
— AFP
