Hospital raid Israeli forces disguised as doctors kill three in Jenin

Israeli forces dressed in doctors' scrubs and women's clothes killed three Palestinian militants yesterday in an undercover operation in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.

- Bethan McKernan

Aborder police counter-terrorism unit and a unit from the internal security forces, known as the Shin Bet, entered Ibn Sina hospital on the outskirts of the city's refugee camp early yesterday, CCTV footage of the operation showed.

The units made their way to a room on the third floor and shot three men in the head using pistols fitted with silencers in an attack that took less than 10 minutes, Israeli media said.

A staff member who saw the attack told the Israeli daily Haaretz that only a few of the dozen or so special forces entered the room and shot the wanted persons; the others spread out over the hospital and the main entrance to prevent any disturbance. Israel's military did not provide details on how the three were killed.

Israel said the dead men were Mohammad Jalamana, a spokesperson for Hamas's military wing, Basel Ghazawi, of Islamic Jihad, and his brother Mohammed. All three were allegedly active in the umbrella force known as the Jenin Battalion, a new group that has engaged Israeli forces in fierce fighting during raids in the city over the past two years.