UN experts call for 'accountability' after deadly Israeli raid in Jenin

Israel's military says the raid on the refugee camp was aimed at thwarting Islamic Jihad attacks

Fire and smoke rise above buildings in Gaza City after Israel launched air strikes. AFP

Palestinians demonstrate in the Jabalia refugee camp following an Israeli raid. AFP

Palestinians burn tyres and wave the national flag during a protest against the raid. AP

The funeral of one of the victims of the Israeli raid. AFP

Relatives mourn during the funeral in the occupied West Bank. AFP

Israeli soldiers aim at Palestinians protesting over the expropriation of their land near the Jewish settlement of Beit El. AFP

A protester throws a stone at Israeli forces during the demonstration. AFP

Israeli forces fire tear gas to disperse demonstrators near Beit El in the occupied West Bank. AFP

Palestinians inspect the damage following the Israeli raid in Jenin. Reuters

An elderly woman was among those killed in fighting with Israeli troops. Reuters

The operation in the flashpoint town is the deadliest Israeli raid in recent months. Reuters

People gather around a building damaged and burned by Israeli troops during the raid. AFP

An ambulance drives past an Israeli military vehicle as smoke rises from a fire set by Palestinian demonstrators. AFP

Palestinian stone-throwers gather amid confrontations with Israeli troops during a raid in Jenin in the occupied West Bank. Reuters

Israeli military vehicles during the raid in Jenin. Reuters

Palestinians run for cover. AFP

Palestinians in Jenin confront Israeli forces. AFP

A Palestinian hurls a canister during the raid in the occupied West Bank. Reuters

Palestinian stone-throwers gather amid the raid in Jenin. Reuters

UN human rights experts on Friday condemned Israel's deadly raid in the occupied West Bank and urged the international community to “ensure accountability”.

The group of experts, who do not officially represent the UN but are mandated to report their findings to the global body, called on the international community to take action to end the “relentless violence, abuses and impunity, and to start to pave the way to a better future for Palestinians and Israelis”.

“The international community cannot and should not tolerate what appears to reflect Israel’s deliberate policy and practice of using lethal force without regard for limits set by international law,” they said.

Israel on Thursday sent military forces into Jenin refugee camp in the northern part of the occupied West Bank. The military said the aim of mission was to arrest Islamic Jihad militants who were planning “major attacks” against Israeli civilians.

The experts' statement noted that the Israeli troops fired live ammunition, killing at least nine Palestinians, including one elderly woman and two children. More than 20 people were reportedly injured and four of them remain in critical condition.

The Palestinian Authority accused Israel of a “massacre” and later announced it had ended co-ordination with the country on security matters.

The UN experts also warned that the attacks in the West Bank continue an “alarming upward trend from 2022".

“Impunity continues to prevail,” they said.

The latest violence comes as Israel's new government, the most right wing in the country's history, looks to further entrench settlements in the West Bank and expand Israel's power in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The attacks on the Jenin camp on Thursday were reminiscent of those that occurred in 2002, when the Israeli military carried out a major operation during the violent Palestinian uprising known as the Second Intifada.

According to the UN experts, Israeli forces killed at least 52 Palestinians in 2002 and destroyed more than 400 homes, “rendering more than a quarter of the population homeless”.

They noted that none of “this violence has been accounted for”.