An Israeli army statement said that the raid targeted activists it described as “hiding” in the hospital, including Muhammad Jalamneh, a member of the armed Hamas movement. The statement said that Jalamna and two other gunmen, the brothers Muhammad and Basil Ghazawi, were “neutralized” during the operation.
The statement said Jalamneh “was carrying” a gun, but did not indicate that the men resisted in any way before they were shot. He added, “Al-Jalamna planned to carry out a terrorist attack in the near future and used the hospital as a hideout and was therefore neutralized.”
A Hamas statement confirmed that Jalamneh was a member of the movement. Another armed group, the Islamic Jihad Movement, said that Muhammad and Bassel Ghazawi are members, and that Bassel is receiving treatment in hospital.
Hamas described the killings as a “war crime” and “will not go unanswered.” The Islamic Jihad movement said in its statement that it “will not let this crime pass without an appropriate response.”
Video circulated on social media, which appeared to be taken from the hospital's security cameras, following the killings showed what appeared to be the withdrawal of the Israeli raiding party from the hospital.
About a dozen or more people were carrying assault weapons and moving through the hospital wearing a variety of disguises, including scrubs and civilian clothes. One of the armed men was wearing a face mask and carrying a wheelchair. Another appeared to search a person who was kneeling on the ground. At least three of them were wearing women's clothing.
The time stamp on the footage was 5:43 a.m
Tawfiq Al-Shoubaki, a hospital spokesman, confirmed in a text message that Basil Ghazawi has been receiving treatment in the hospital since October and is paralyzed, adding that there was no exchange of gunfire before Israeli forces killed the two men. He added that this was the “first time” he had witnessed Israeli forces carrying out assassinations in a hospital, adding that the Israelis had in the past arrested people in medical facilities.
Israeli raids and arrests have intensified across the West Bank since October 7, when Hamas activists crossed into Israel and killed 1,200 people. Jenin was a center of unrest. According to the United Nations, at least 367 Palestinians, including 94 children, have been killed across the West Bank since October 7, the vast majority by Israeli forces.
