PALESTINIAN Authority (PA) security forces killed a senior anti-occupation resistance fighter in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on Saturday, further fuelling intra-Palestinian tensions.
Yazeed Jayasa’a, a leader in the Islamic Jihad-led Jenin Brigades, which operates mainly in the Jenin refugee camp, was reportedly wanted by the Israeli military.
He was killed during a raid in Jenin launched by PA forces on Saturday morning, the Islamic Jihad said.
“The targeting of resistance groups by the authorities in Jenin aligns entirely with the aggression and criminality of the [Israeli] occupation,” the Islamic Jihad said in a statement.
The killing was condemned by other Palestinian groups, including Hamas.
Hamas official Abdul-Rahman Shadeed said that the PA was inviting “internal strife” with its actions and must “put a stop to this”.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, he said: “The Palestinian Authority must strengthen the national cause, not target field leaders in the West Bank.”
The raid and killing on Saturday came amid escalating attacks by PA forces against Palestinians in the West Bank.
PA forces shot and killed an unarmed 19-year-old citizen on Monday during a raid on Jenin.
The PA said the raids on Jenin, which target armed anti-occupation groups, were part of an effort to restore law and order.
On Saturday, the PA said they had launched a new campaign in Jenin to “maintain public security and order, establish the rule of law, and prevent sedition and chaos in the Jenin camp”.
Local media reported exchanges of gunfire between PA forces and resistance fighters amid the raid.
The Jenin refugee camp has also been under siege by PA forces amid the incursions.
