Jerusalem – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is extremely concerned by the alarming escalation of armed violence in Jenin for two days. Every additional minute of violence represents a threat to the lives of residents, their homes, infrastructure and essential services, the ICRC said.
Civilians and civilian objects must be respected and protected. The Israeli security forces must in particular ensure that the population of Jenin has unhindered access to health services, housing, food and water, it added.
The ICRC said paramedics and first aiders must have free access to the injured to provide them with emergency care, without putting their own lives in danger.
The spiral of violence seen in the first six months of 2023 has led to heightened tensions and a worrying deterioration in the humanitarian situation in the West Bank. Immediate measures must be taken to end this situation.
Palestine Red Crescent Society staff and volunteers are working to meet urgent humanitarian needs. The ICRC supports these efforts by coordinating access for relief teams and it will also continue to provide assistance as needed, the humanitarian organization said.
The UN human rights chief Volker Turk decried the cycle of violence in Israel and the occupied West Bank, insisting that the killing and wounding must come to a halt.
Turk said the scale of the Jenin operation, including the use of repeated airstrikes, along with the destruction of property, raised serious issues regarding international human rights norms and standards.
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Some of the methods and weapons used “are more generally associated with the conduct of hostilities in armed conflict, rather than law enforcement”, he said.
“The use of airstrikes is inconsistent with rules applicable to the conduct of law enforcement operations. In a context of occupation, the deaths resulting from such airstrikes may also amount to wilful killings.”
Turk said the Israeli forces in the West Bank needed to abide by international human rights standards on the use of force.
“These standards do not change simply because the goal of the operation is stated as ‘counter-terrorism’,” he said.
As the occupying power, Israel had to ensure that all operations were planned and controlled to minimise the use of force, notably lethal force.
“Israel must also ensure timely access to medical care to all those injured,” he said.