Jenin / PNN / 

The Refugee Affairs Department of the Palestine Liberation Organization called on the international community, especially the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the UNRWA Commissioner-General, to immediately intervene to stop the heinous Israeli aggression and provide immediate protection to the Palestinian people.

The Refugee Affairs Department urged the International Criminal Court to break its silence and begin holding Israeli war criminals accountable.

In a statement received by PNN the department stated that 18,000 Palestinians inside the Jenin refugee camp are demanding protection amidst excessive Israeli military force against the people of Jenin. They highlighted the brutal and violent Israeli escalation targeting innocent civilians in the Jenin camp.

The department stated that this invasion destroys homes and hospitals, claims lives, tears families apart, and forces many to flee, with approximately 3,000 people being displaced from their homes. Arrangements have been made to accommodate them in schools and other shelters in the city of Jenin.

They also mentioned that at least 10 people have been killed and over 100 injured, with 20 of them in critical condition so far.

The Refugee Affairs Department stated that many camp residents lack basic necessities such as food, drinking water, milk, and necessary medications, while Israel continues its aggression by imposing a siege on the camp and closing all entrances with military vehicles.

They also confirmed that there are wounded individuals in the camp, and medical teams face difficulty in reaching them. The number of casualties and injuries increases as the invasion continues.

On Monday, July 3, 2023, and up until this moment, Israel has carried out its most intense aggressive operations in the occupied West Bank for nearly two decades. It attacked the Jenin refugee camp through aerial and ground operations, including missiles, a series of drone strikes, and the deployment of over 1,000 Israeli soldiers, along with a convoy of 150 armored vehicles to besiege the camp.

The military aggression caused significant damage to buildings, shops, houses, and infrastructure, including roads, water, electricity, and sewage systems, as a collective punishment against all residents of Jenin, particularly the Jenin refugee camp. The Israeli aggression also targeted innocent civilians, including ambulances, medical teams, health centers, and civilian vehicles, depriving the injured of medical treatment. The Palestinian Red Crescent urgently called for securing a “safe passage for evacuating the wounded and injured.”

The Refugee Affairs Department holds Israel fully responsible for bombing the city of Jenin and the refugee camp with planes, demolishing homes, roads, and launching attacks on densely populated areas.

The department affirmed that these crimes are collective punishment, war crimes, and violations of international conventions, laws, and norms, as well as violations of international humanitarian law. Such acts will only lead to further escalation of the existing situation.

The PLO refugees department called on active international bodies and influential international actors to urgently intervene in order to put an end to these extreme violations and provide protection to the Palestinian people, whose suffering increases day by day. The repercussions of this aggression and its extremely dangerous implications affect the security and stability in Palestine and the region.