Jenin/PNN/

The death toll of the Israeli army raid into the northern occupied West Bank city of Jenin rose to nine and the number of wounded to 20, according to the Health Ministry.

It said that Israeli nine Palestinians were killed by Israeli army gunfire and 20 others were wounded, including four seriously wounded, during the violent raid into the city and neighboring refugee camp.

The fatalities included an elderly woman, identified as Magda Obaid, 60. Two of the slain youths were identified as Saeb Issam Mahmoud Izreiqi, 24, and Izzidin Yassin Salahat, 26.

The Ministry pointed that all the 16 casualties, including a child, sustained gunshot wounds in the chest, shoulders, abdomen and lower extremities.

During the raid, the soldiers completely destroyed the Jenin Camp Club.

A sizable army force barged its way into the flashpoint city and the neighboring refugee camp, where snipers seized positions on the rooftops of houses, trigging violent confrontations.

The heavily-armed soldiers opened fire towards local youths attempting to block their entry, wounding seven, including one seriously wounded by live ammunition in the chest and thigh.

The army force disconnected the power supply to the camp, denied paramedics and reporter access to it and directly opened fire on an ambulance.

Health Minister, Mai al-Kaileh, stated Palestinian Red Crescent (PRC) first emergency medical workers at the scene could not evacuate the wounded as Israeli soldiers restricted access to the camp and hampered ambulances from fetching and transferring the casualties.

Al-Kaileh added that the occupation forces fired gas bombs toward the pediatric section of Jenin Government Hospital, causing suffocation cases from gas inhalation among Palestinians, including mothers and children.

She said that she demanded an urgent meeting with the World Health Organization and the International Committee of the Red Cross to bring an end to the Israeli aggression, save the lives of Palestinians and prevent further bloodshed while urging international human rights organizations to urgently intervene to help rein in Israeli army practices.