Israeli forces disguised as civilian women and medical workers stormed a hospital Tuesday in the occupied West Bank, killing three Islamic terrorists in a dramatic raid that underscored how deadly violence has spilled into the territory from the war in Gaza.
The Palestinian Health Ministry, which is controlled by the radical Islamic terrorist group Hamas, said Israeli forces assassinated three of its members inside the wards of the Ibn Sina Hospital in the town of Jenin.
The Hamas-run ministry condemned the raid and called on the international community to pressure Israel’s military to halt such operations in hospitals. A hospital spokesperson said there was no exchange of fire or civilian deaths.
The military said the terrorists were using the hospital as a hideout, which is a common practice in the area. It alleged that one of those targeted in the raid had transferred weapons and ammunition to others for a planned attack, purportedly inspired by the massacre of innocent civilians in southern Israel on Oct. 7 that triggered the war in Gaza.
Footage said to be security camera video from the hospital that circulated on social media showed about a dozen undercover forces, most of them armed, dressed as women with Muslim headscarves, or hospital staff in scrubs or white doctor’s coats. One in a surgical mask carried a rifle in one arm and a folded wheelchair in the other. The forces were seen patting down one man who kneeled against a wall, his arms raised.
Take a look —
pic.twitter.com/suED3RH9h7
Pro-Palestinians on social media are outraged after Israeli elite commando forces disguised themselves as medical staff and infiltrated a Palestinian hospital in Jenin, in order to take down Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists.
The Palestinian terrorists…— Liza Rosen (@LizaRosen0000) January 30, 2024
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, denied reports of a possible cease-fire deal to end the war in Gaza during an event in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, repeating his vow to keep fighting until “absolute victory” over Hamas.
“We will not end this war without achieving all of our goals,” he said. “We will not withdraw the Israeli military from the Gaza Strip and we will not release thousands of terrorists,” he said, referring to Hamas’ main demands.
The war began when hundreds of Hamas-led terrorists launched an unprovoked attack on Israel and massacred anyone they could find. About 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were slaughtered in the attack and about 250 others were kidnapped. A 105 were released during a weeklong cease-fire in November in exchange for 240 Palestinian terrorists imprisoned by Israel.
In response, Israel launched a blistering air, sea, and ground offensive in the Gaza strip and has vowed to wipe out the terror group.
The Associated Press contributed to this article