Official: PA’s Security Services kill 3 Palestinian gunmen, arrest 247 others

The Palestinian Authority has killed three Palestinian “militants” and arrested 247 others as part of its operation in the Jenin refugee camp, in the northern occupied West Bank, that has been ongoing for several weeks, PA security forces spokesperson Anwar Rajab said yesterday.

Speaking at a press conference in Jenin, Rajab said the PA’s forces have defused 245 explosive devices and confiscated weapons and ammunition as parts of their so-called “counterterror” campaign which critics have said is an extension of Israel’s military endeavours in the occupied territories.

They have also defused 17 car bombs and detonated two vehicles at the Batikha roundabout in Jenin and outside the court building in Jenin, according to the same source.

He claimed that PA forces seized three factories used to manufacture explosives and bombs, all of which were located within residential areas, in addition to 16 sites used to store weapons and food, including mosques or charitable organisations.

He said eight people had been arrested on charges of financing “outlaws” and channels used to receive external funding had been intercepted.

“The results are satisfactory to us, and we will continue our operation in the Jenin camp until all outlaws are arrested and the situation is neutralised inside the camp,” he added.

The PA security services are continuing a military operation in Jenin refugee camp for the second month in a row, under the pretext of pursuing Palestinian “outlaws”, while Palestinian factions, including Hamas, the Popular Front and Islamic Jihad, accuse the PA of pursuing resistance fighters in service of the Israeli occupation.

The clashes resulted in 14 deaths, including six members from the security forces, and eight civilians, including a leader of an Islamic Jihad battalion.

Palestine This Week: Is the PA fighting Israel’s battle in the West Bank?