Israeli forces open fire towards diplomatic delegation touring Jenin in the northern West Bank
Foreign diplomats have been forced to run for cover after Israeli troops opened fire towards a delegation touring the city of Jenin in the West Bank.
Vision shared on social media show Israeli soldiers pointing their weapons in the direction of the diplomats, who were standing at a boom gate in the Jenin refugee camp.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the incident, labelling it a "heinous crime" and saying the delegation of around 25 people had been "deliberately targeted by live fire."
"The delegation was undertaking an official mission to observe and assess the humanitarian situation and document the ongoing violations perpetrated by the occupying forces against the Palestinian people," the ministry said in a statement.
Representatives from Canada, the United Kingdom, Austria, Lithuania, Spain, Turkiye, Uruguay, China, Japan, Romania, Mexico, Egypt, Chile, Morocco, Jordan, South Korea, the Netherlands, Finland, Italy and Germany were present.
The IDF tried to justify the incident.
"As part of the coordination, an approved route was provided to the delegation members, which they were instructed to follow due to the area being an active combat zone," it said in a statement.
"According to an initial inquiry, the delegation deviated from the approved route and entered an area where they were not authorised to be.
It said senior commanders would speak to the countries represented in the delegation.
"The IDF regrets the inconvenience caused."
Jenin has been the focal point of a major Israel Defence Forces (IDF) military campaign, launched earlier this year.
The IDF said it was cracking down on Palestinian militants and terrorists in the West Bank, but tens of thousands of people were forced to leave the area and hundreds of homes and infrastructure have been destroyed by Israeli forces.
The ABC has contacted the Israeli foreign ministry for comment about the incident, as well as the embassies of the nations involved.
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