THREE PALESTINIAN FREEDOM FIGHTERS SHOT DEAD BY ISRAELI OCCUPATION FORCES

West Bank, 21 Jumadil Awwal 1435/22 Maret 2014 (MINA) – Three Palestinians of resistance fighters  were shot dead and 15 others injured, after Israeli occupation forces  raided Jenin refugee camp, northern West Bank, on Saturday (22/3), Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) correspondent in Gaza reported.

Hamza Abu al-Haija (22), Mahmoud Abu Zeina (17), and 22-year-old Yazan Mahmoud Basim Jabarin, are among identified victims of the attacks. 

The sources told Ma’an News Agency a large number of Israeli occupation troops surrounded several Palestinian militants in a house in the camp and showered the house with gunshots.

Resistance fighters returned fire and eventually three of them were shot dead, the sources said.

Israeli occupation soldiers first attacked the house with rifle-fired Energa shells after Abu al-Haija refused to surrender. 

Locals and security sources said that Abu al-Haija was a prominent leader of Hamas’ military wing al-Qassam Brigades, while Abu Zeina was affiliated to Islamic Jihad’s al-Quds Brigades.

Jabarin, 23, was a member of al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the military wing of Fatah movement, a Hamas statement said.

When Israeli occupation troops withdrew from the camp, dozens of men rushed to the house. They said that seven men were found injured. They were identified as Mahmoud Kamil Abu Hashish, Rafat Said Ali Uweis, Muamin Abdullah Isam Nashrati, Hussein Abu Tabeikh and Qasam Mahmoud Jabarin.

Hamas’ statement said that at the beginning of the raid, clashes broke between Israeli occupation troops and Abu al-Haija, who was barricaded in the house of a friend identified as Hamza Ballas.

The other two resistance fighters were shot dead in clashes that broke out with Israeli troops after Abu al-Haija was killed, Hamas said.(L/K1/P03/E01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)