In Pictures

Casualties mount in occupied West Bank as Israeli forces extend raids

At least eight Palestinians have been killed in the Jenin refugee camp alone in an operation that started on Tuesday.

Israeli army vehicles are seen near burning tyres during the raid at the entrance to the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. [Marco Longari/AFP]

Raids by the Israeli military in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin have resulted in an increasing number of casualties since they started on Tuesday and have now entered their third day.

Eight Palestinians have been killed in the Jenin refugee camp alone since Tuesday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said in a statement. Israeli forces have killed 58 people, including children, in Jenin alone since October 7.

Kamal Abu al-Rub, Jenin’s acting governor, said more Israeli forces were heading towards the city and the camp, in what is the military’s 15th incursion into this area since October 7.

Abu al-Rub told Al Jazeera that all roads leading to the camp have been destroyed by military bulldozers and that its hospitals are being surrounded, with soldiers blocking ambulances from evacuating the sick and injured.

Israeli forces detained about 500 people, and have released 400 of them. With the camp under siege, those freed were unable to return and were sheltering in an area near Jenin, he said.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said: “Dozens of citizens suffer from a severe shortage of infant formula and bread as Israeli soldiers are deployed on the roofs of their homes, preventing them from leaving.”

At least 283 West Bank Palestinians, including 64 children, have been killed by Israeli fire and more than 4,000 detained since the war started, according to Palestinian officials.

Israeli army vehicles drive through Jenin in the occupied West Bank, on December 13, 2023, following an overnight army raid in the city, as battles continue between Israel and the militant movement Hamas in Gaza. — Israeli army vehicles drive through Jenin during a raid in the city. [Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP]

Men attempt to block a road as the Israel Defence Force conduct a raid for the second day at a refugee camp near the West Bank city of Jenin, 13 December 2023. — Men attempt to block a road as Israeli forces conduct a raid for the second day at a refugee camp near Jenin. [Alaa Badarneh/EPA]

Medical teams arrive at the site where Israeli forces bombed three houses, killed eight Palestinians, and injured others during a raid in Jenin, which started on Tuesday. [Vincenzo Circosta/Anadolu]

Israeli forces search Palestinian Red Crescent Society ambulances. [Issam Rimawi/Anadolu]

Medical staff carry an injured Palestinian man to an ambulance as Israeli forces raid the Jenin Refugee Camp in the city of Jenin, north of the West Bank. — Medical staff carry a Palestinian man injured during the raid. 'There are dozens of distress calls to evacuate the sick, and ambulance crews have been unable to reach them due to the army’s obstructions,' the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said. [Issam Rimawi/Anadolu]

Car tires are burned as Israeli forces raid the Jenin Refugee Camp in the city of Jenin, north of the West Bank. — The Palestinian health ministry said that a 13-year-old boy with a medical emergency died after being prevented from getting treatment during the raid. [İssam Rimawi/Anadolu]

Smoke billows following an explosion which targeted a house that the Israeli army said belonged to a suspect during the military operation inside the Jenin refugee camp. [Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP]

Albajawi family's house is bombed and burnt by the Israeli forces as they raid the Jenin Refugee Camp in Jenin, West Bank. — The Albajawi family's home was bombed during the raid. [Issam Rimawi/Anadolu]

This house was among several targeted during the Israeli army operation in Jenin. [Zain Jaffar/AFP]

The Palestine Red Crescent Society says the situation in the camp 'continues to deteriorate' as it has been under siege by Israeli forces since Tuesday. [Zain Jaafar/AFP via Getty Images] — The Palestine Red Crescent Society says the situation in the camp 'continues to deteriorate' as it has been under siege by Israeli forces since Tuesday. [Zain Jaafar/AFP]