On Wednesday, May 21st, Israeli soldiers mistakenly fired warning shots at a diplomatic delegation visiting the city of Jenin on the West Bank of the Jordan River, including diplomats from the European Union, the UK, France, China, Russia, and other countries.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) expressed regret for the inconvenience caused in a statement regarding the incident.
The IDF explained in the statement that the group deviated from the approved route, leading soldiers to fire warning shots into the air “to drive them away.”
The IDF stated that they will investigate the incident and will contact representatives of the relevant countries to inform them of the results of the internal investigation.
No one was injured in this incident.
The Palestinian Authority (PA), which governs parts of the West Bank, condemned the IDF for “intentionally using live ammunition to attack the authorized diplomatic delegation.”
A humanitarian worker, who requested anonymity, stated that around 20 diplomats were listening to a briefing about the situation in Jenin from the PA at the time of the incident.
Videos posted on social media showed the delegation hearing gunshots as they entered the eastern entrance of the Jenin refugee camp and dispersing to take cover.
The Israeli military has been engaged in conflicts with Palestinian armed factions in the region for many years. Since the deadly attack by Hamas in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the Gaza War, violence has escalated in the West Bank, leading to the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians and dozens of Israelis.
A European diplomat mentioned that the delegation traveled to the region to “inspect the damage caused by Israeli military operations over the past few months.”
Several countries, including Spain, Egypt, France, Turkey, Ireland, and Italy, had diplomats participating in the visit, all of which have condemned Israel’s erroneous actions.
Jean-Noel Barrot, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, posted on the social media platform X, describing this incident as “unacceptable” and stating that France will summon the Israeli ambassador in Paris to request an explanation.
(This article references relevant reports from Bloomberg and Reuters)