Israeli forces, disguised as medical staff, conducted a swift and targeted raid in the Ibn Sina Specialized Hospital in Jenin, West Bank that resulted in the death of three Palestinian militants.
The raid, which lasted less than 10 minutes, was captured by surveillance cameras that revealed Israeli soldiers that dressed as doctors, nurses, and women entering the hospital and headed to the third floor, where the militants were situated. They used silenced pistols to eliminate the targets.
However, the Israeli army identified the slain militants as members of the Jenin Brigade, a coalition of armed groups operating in the Jenin refugee camp. One of them was Jalamneh, a Hamas operative wanted for his involvement in a shooting attack that killed six Israelis in Jerusalem in October 2022. The other two militants, Mohamed and Basel Ghazawi, belonged to the Islamic Jihad faction.
The army stated that the raid was necessary to prevent a terrorist attack inspired by the Jerusalem massacre, as the militants had reportedly used the hospital as a hideout and a weapons depot.
Meanwhile, the raid has sparked condemnation from the Palestinian health ministry, which accused Israeli forces of violating the hospital’s sanctity. The ministry denounced the raid as a breach of international law, stated that hospitals deserve protection from all forms of violence.
The Israeli army, however, maintained that the operation was crucial to preventing an impending terrorist attack and highlighted the challenge of militant groups using civilian areas, including hospitals, as shields and operational bases.
