Diplomatics in Jenin, Israeli soldiers shoot warning shots: there was also the Italian vice -second

Diplomatics in Jenin, Israeli soldiers shoot warning shots: there was also the Italian vice -second

Military of the Army of Israel fired rifle strokes during a visit to diplomats from different nations in Jenin, in the north of the West Bank. The Italian deputy console in Jerusalem, Alessandro Tutino, was also part of the delegation. The Israeli army said that it was a warning strokes, while the Palestinian authority denounced the “direct” launch of “living ammunition” by the Israeli soldiers.

The accident occurred in the early afternoon on the outskirts of the Jenin refugee camp, a city in the center of a large Israeli military offensive against the Palestinian armed groups in the north of the territory.

“Unacceptable” act

“I just spoke with Alessandro Tutino the deputy consul of Italy in Jerusalem who is fine and who was among the diplomats that would have been attached to the firearm sessions near the refugee camp of Jenin. We ask the government of Israel to immediately clarify the incident. The threats against diplomats are unacceptable,” wrote the foreign minister Antonio Tajani on X.

“I heard of today’s accident in Jenin, where the Israeli defense forces shot warning strokes, but still blows against a group of diplomats that approached the refugee camp. We highly ask Israel to investigate this accident and to bring the responsibilities of this act before justice. Any threat to the life of diplomats is unacceptable”, said the high representative of the EU for foreign policy, Kallas.

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot asked for “convincing explanations” in Israel. “These diplomats were on an official visit to Jenin, who had been coordinated with the Israeli army, in a convoy of about twenty clearly identifiable vehicles,” protested the head of Brussels diplomacy.

Discordant reconstructions

To compose the delegation over 30 ambassadors, consuls and European officials, Arabs, Chinese, Japanese, Indians and other countries. Israel’s army reported being at work to ascertain the circumstances of the facts. The diplomats intended to visit the Jenin refugee camp, surrounded by Tel Aviv soldiers since January 21st.

The Israeli army expressed “regret for the inconvenience caused” stating that “during a coordinated operation for the entry of a diplomatic delegation to Jenin, in the West Bank”, warning shots would have been shot to remove the group members who, according to the armed forces of Tel Aviv, would have “deflected from the approved path and had entered an unauthorized area”.

The commander of the Division of the West Bank, General Yaki Dolf, said he had started an investigation into the incident and General Hisham Ibrahim, head of the Civil Administration of Defense, ordered his officers to immediately contact representatives of the countries involved.

The IDF guaranteed that the blows would have been shot in the air, but the images of a video taken with the mobile phone show soldiers who are aiming for the rifles at men’s height when the explosions are heard.

“It was the last part of the visit and suddenly we heard shots from the field,” said a European diplomat at the FP on condition of anonymity. “They weren’t just one or two, they were like repeated shots. It’s madness, it’s not normal,” he added.

Jenin’s siege

In Jenin, in the north of the West Bank, a large -scale military operation is underway by the Israeli army which has practically transformed the refugee camp into a pile of rubble. The Israeli forces surrounded the area starting from January 21, launching air raids and earth operations that caused a massive destruction and mass outlets.

According to the data provided by the Palestinian Ministry of Health, at least 30 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of the offensive. The balance could be higher, but access to rescue has often been prevented, with ambulances blocked or forced to move between the rubble.

As in Gaza, destruction is on a devastating scale: 600 houses would have been completely razed to the ground, and 3 thousand homes would have been made unusable. The roads have been destroyed, the interrupted power lines, the compromised water network, hospitals and schools have been damaged. Almost all about 20 thousand residents fled or forced to evacuate from the army, and it is not known if it will ever be allowed to return.