Israeli occupation forces opened fire on a group of Arab and European diplomats during a field visit near Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, according to a statement issued by the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday.
The incident reportedly took place near a metal gate installed by Israeli occupation forces at the eastern entrance of the camp. A video posted by the ministry on Facebook appeared to show the diplomats under fire while touring the area. No injuries were reported.
According to Alquds, The group included 25 diplomats, among them ambassadors and representatives from Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, the EU, Portugal, China, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Turkey, Spain, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Japan, Romania, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Canada, India, Chile, France and the UK.
The ministry condemned what it called "a heinous crime" and accused Israeli occupation forces of deliberately targeting the delegation with live ammunition as they toured humanitarian sites and documented alleged Israeli violations in the area. Several journalists, both Arab and foreign, were accompanying the delegation.
"This aggressive act represents a blatant violation of international law and the Vienna Convention of 1961, which guarantees the protection and immunity of diplomatic missions," the ministry said. "Targeting accredited diplomats on Palestinian territory is a serious escalation and a sign of Israel's systematic disregard for international norms."
The ministry held the Israeli government fully responsible and warned that the incident would not go unpunished. It also urged the home countries of the targeted diplomats to take decisive actions against Israel's "continued violations," including the assault on diplomatic representatives.
The shooting comes amid rising international criticism of Israel's military actions in both Gaza and the West Bank. On Tuesday, EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, announced that the bloc's long-standing partnership agreement with Israel will be reviewed in response to the "catastrophic" situation in Gaza. Israel dismissed the move as a fundamental misreading of the "complex reality."
A day earlier, the leaders of Canada, the UK and France issued a joint statement warning they "will not stand by" in the face of what they described as "appalling acts" by Israeli forces in Gaza. They called for an immediate halt to military operations and unfettered humanitarian access.
The UK also announced it was suspending trade talks with Israel and had summoned the Israeli ambassador over the renewed assault on Gaza.
That same day, foreign ministers from more than two dozen countries—including Australia, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Sweden—released a joint statement demanding immediate humanitarian access to Gaza and protection for aid agencies.
Meanwhile, Sweden's foreign minister, Maria Malmer Stenergard, said Tuesday that Stockholm would push within the EU for sanctions on specific Israeli ministers over their government's handling of Palestinian civilians.
The Spanish parliament also approved a motion to consider halting arms sales to Israel. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has previously called for Israel to be excluded from international cultural events.
