Israeli troops open fire during diplomats' tour in West Bank, drawing widespread condemnation
Members of a diplomatic delegation from the European Union stand behind a gate on the eastern entrance of Jenin camp during a visit to the city of Jenin, on May 21, 2025, amid an ongoing Israeli military offensive in the occupied West Bank. (Photo: AFP/Mohammad Mansour)
JENIN, Palestinian Territories: Israeli forces fired warning shots on Wednesday (May 21) as foreign diplomats visited the occupied West Bank, the military said, apologising for the incident after the Palestinian Authority accused troops of "deliberately" shooting at the delegation.
AFP footage from the scene of the incident in the West Bank city of Jenin - a frequent target of Israeli military raids - showed the delegation and accompanying journalists running for cover as shots were heard.
A video released by the Palestinian foreign ministry showed two men in Israeli army uniforms pointing guns at a group of people from behind metal gates while shots ring out.
AFP was not immediately able to verify the video, but the journalist in Jenin said the footage appears to show the camp's eastern entrance.
No injuries were reported in the incident, but it drew prompt condemnation from around the world.
HOLD THOSE RESPONSIBLE TO ACCOUNT
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas urged Israel to hold to account those responsible for the shooting near Jenin, a stronghold of Palestinian armed groups and a frequent target of Israeli raids.
A European diplomat said the group had gone to the area "to see the destruction" caused by months of Israeli operations.
The Israeli military said "the delegation deviated from the approved route", prompting troops to fire "warning shots" to keep them away from "an area where they were not authorised to be".
After the warning shots were fired at diplomats, Belgium demanded a "convincing explanation" from Israel, while Spain said it was "in contact with other affected countries to jointly coordinate a response to what happened, which we strongly condemn".
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani summoned the Israeli ambassador to Rome and said that "threats against diplomats are unacceptable".
France also said it would summon Israel's ambassador, and Germany said Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul would also raise the "unprovoked shooting" with his Israeli counterpart.
Egypt said the incident "violates all diplomatic norms".
Turkey demanded an immediate investigation Wednesday over what the Israeli military said were warning shots fired during a visit by foreign diplomats to the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli military, which in January launched a major operation in the Jenin area to stamp out militant groups, has recently installed metal gates as seen in the video at the entrances to the camp.
A European diplomat present during the visit told AFP he heard "repeated shots" coming from inside Jenin refugee camp.
"We were doing a visit with the governor of Jenin to the border of the camp to see the destruction", the diplomat said.
"It was the last part of the visit and suddenly we heard shots, coming from the camp. It was not like once or twice. It was like repeated shots. So at that moment, we just all started running back to the cars", the diplomat added.
Ahmad al-Deek, political advisor for the Palestinian foreign ministry, told AFP he was leading the delegation.
"We condemn this reckless act by the Israeli army, especially at a time when it had given the diplomatic delegation an impression of the life the Palestinian people are living", he said.
Since Israel launched its large-scale military operation in the northern West Bank, the Jenin refugee camp has emptied of its inhabitants and taken over by troops.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said that by Mar 31, the operation had displaced some 16,000 people in Jenin.
