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More from Qabatiya
Children are being moved away on buses after about 1,000 pupils were trapped in their schools as Israeli forces stormed the town of Qabatiya near Jenin in the occupied West Bank.
Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim, reporting from Qabatiya, said some of the children said they were scared and hungry.
“One of the children I’ve been speaking to says that the Israeli forces shot towards one of the classrooms, leading some of the children to be scared and to take the corners of the classroom as a way of keeping themselves safe from the Israeli forces,” she said.
Israeli forces hold bodies of 3 killed Palestinians in Qabatiya
As we reported earlier, Israeli forces are conducting a raid into Qabatiya near Jenin in the occupied West Bank, where three Palestinians have been killed.
The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported Israeli forces surrounded a house, climbed onto the roof where the three young men were shot and killed, and then carried the bodies “one by one and threw them from the roof of the house”.
The bodies were then moved by an Israeli army bulldozer and are now held by the Israeli army, it said. The home has since been demolished, Wafa added. Israeli forces are currently besieging four other houses in the area.
Hundreds of students trapped in Qabatiya schools now evacuated
We earlier reported on hundreds of children stuck inside two schools and unable to leave because of the ongoing raid on Qabatiya near Jenin in the occupied West Bank.
Wafa news agency reported 10 buses managed to move the students out of the area. A total of 1,200 children and staff members have been evacuated after being trapped for five hours.
Panic was caused among students at Abu al-Rab and Qabatiya schools during heavy Israeli gunfire while dozens suffered from tear gas inhalation.
Israeli forces bomb vehicle during ongoing raid on Qabatiya
One Palestinian has been critically wounded in the attack, Wafa reports, which has taken place as Israeli forces continue their hours-long incursion into the town in the occupied West Bank. At least three others have been wounded by Israeli gunfire, including a child, the news agency said, quoting local sources.
Earlier, Israeli forces shot and killed three Palestinians, wounded 10 and demolished a home in the area. Soldiers are now besieging four other houses.
مصادر محلية: طائرات الاحتلال تقصف مركبة في بلدة قباطية جنوب جنين#الجزيرة pic.twitter.com/a1mXRgZRYw
— الجزيرة فلسطين (@AJA_Palestine) September 19, 2024
Death toll in West Bank’s Qabatiya rises to 5
Two more Palestinians have been killed as Israeli forces continue their hours-long raid on Qabatiya south of Jenin, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reports.
At least one person was killed when Israeli forces bombed a vehicle near a commercial complex in the town, setting it ablaze. Another was shot dead near the entrance of the town.
Two others were also wounded by Israeli gunfire, including a child. Earlier, three Palestinians were killed and at least 10 others injured when Israeli forces stormed Qabatiya, backed by army vehicles, including bulldozers, as well as fighter jets and drones.
Dozens ‘trapped’ inside Qabatiya building amid ongoing Israeli raid
Israeli forces have besieged Qabatiya’s municipality building as they continue their hours-long incursion into the town south of Jenin in the occupied West Bank.
Quoting Mayor Ahmad Zakarneh, Palestinian news agency Wafa said 32 people, including staff members, residents and children, have been trapped inside the building. Zakarneh said a number of middle-school students sought refuge in the building when Israeli forces first stormed the town and fired live ammunition towards two schools.
“We were informed to coordinate our exit at the same time that the [others] students were evacuated from the schools, but we were surprised when the occupation forces stationed in front of the building prevented us from leaving,” Zakarneh said.
“Now, we have been under siege for about eight hours, and we’re hearing heavy gunfire around the building.”
Israeli forces raid more towns across the occupied West Bank
Israeli soldiers have stormed towns near Nablus and Jenin as well as Shu’fat refugee camp in occupied East Jerusalem.
In the town of Yabad, southwest of Jenin, at least two Palestinians have been arrested at their homes. In Tal, a village near Nablus, confrontations broke out after Israeli soldiers opened fire and launched tear gas towards residents.
