Israeli forces surround Palestinian hospital and refugee camp in West Bank
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Israel defence minister calls Jenin siege ‘shift in … security strategy’, as Palestinian Red Crescent says ambulances cannot reach dead and wounded. Israeli forces have besieged a Palestinian government hospital in Jenin and a nearby refugee camp in the heart of the city, as the Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, said the assault marks “a shift in … security strategy” in the West Bank.
![[Jordan's foreign minister warns West Bank could 'explode' amid Israeli operation in Jenin – video]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c3aa7513fe4ffd5e69ae380c98dc654fd72de8e/0_0_1920_1080/1920.jpg?width=465&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Wednesday that they had carried out airstrikes in Jenin as well as detonating roadside explosive devices. The Palestinian health ministry said at least 10 people were killed in Jenin, with more than 40 wounded. The Palestinian Red Crescent said their ambulances had been prevented from reaching many of the dead and wounded who lay in the streets of neighbourhoods around the Jenin refugee camp.
![[Mourners at the funeral of a Palestinian man who was killed during an Israeli raid in Jenin in the West Bank.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9941122f3d65fae9390987c44c7cd066efcc2adb/0_309_5500_3300/master/5500.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
“No one can break the siege on the refugee camp and the surrounding area,” said Nebal Farsakh, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Red Crescent. Their medics had treated seven fatalities and 17 wounded people, all injured with live ammunition, she added.
![[A man inspects damage after an attack in Qalqilya]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/d5140dfce4b1910ca82450598625dbbc22be8187/0_415_4080_2449/master/4080.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
The escalating Israeli raid on Jenin continued despite the recent ceasefire in Gaza, pausing an Israeli assault on the territory that had continued for 15 months after the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israeli towns and kibbutzim around Gaza. With the ceasefire in Gaza coming into effect less than a week ago, Israeli forces indicated the start of a renewed military operation across the West Bank.
![[Palestinian youth sifts through the aftermath of an attack by suspected Israeli settlers in the West Bank village of Jinsafut on 21 January.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/769959190faf5506101b115c1c42d850f693dc6d/0_55_8194_4917/master/8194.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Wissam Bakr, the head of Khalil Suleiman governmental hospital in Jenin, said: “The current situation is awful. Israeli forces destroyed the roads in front of the hospital. They put the rubble from the destroyed streets in front of hospital exits to prevent ambulances from entering or leaving.”.
