ALBAWABA - Video of the Jenin Battalion goes viral, which is a component of the Al-Quds Brigades, the Islamic Jihad Movement's military branch, shows its soldiers taking an RPG launcher from security forces of the Palestinian Authority (PA).
According to the battalion, the weapon was used to target civilian residences in the northern West Bank's Jenin refugee camp.
A Jenin Battalion commander accused the PA of "cold-bloodedly killing 16 Palestinian civilians" since October 7, 2023, in a statement that was broadcast by Al Jazeera.
He further said that after forcing a PA security unit to flee a residential residence, the battalion was able to seize a "special weapon" without fighting the unit that was besieged. Additionally, the statement accused the PA of holding medical personnel who helped the injured and converting Jenin Hospital into a military installation.
Fresh battles broke out on Sunday as Jenin Battalion militants thwarted another effort by PA troops to move approach the camp, which has been under siege for 32 days, according to Al Jazeera. Leaders of the Palestinian community and civic groups have urged the PA to cease its military action and called for de-escalation.
The PA says its campaign is aimed at "outlaws," but a number of groups, including as Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front, and Hamas, say the PA is repressing resistance fighters.
Six PA security officials and eight civilians, including a senior Jenin Battalion commander, were among the 14 people killed in the skirmishes, according to Al Jazeera.
