In the pre-dawn hours of Saturday, an Israeli military jeep rammed a stationary bus that was preparing to take Palestinian pilgrims from Jenin to Jordan en route to Mecca. The deputy governor of Jenin, Mansour Saadi, said the jeep swerved directly into the vehicle while passengers—many of them elderly, wounded or mourning relatives killed in earlier raids—were already on board. Although no physical injuries were reported, the collision shattered windows, buckled body-panels and left several riders in shock.

Saadi condemned the incident as “an act of intimidation meant to keep ordinary people frightened and paralyse daily life in Jenin.” Witnesses told local reporters that soldiers lingered only long enough to photograph the damage before speeding away, leaving civilians and civil-defence crews to handle the aftermath.

The ramming comes against the backdrop of an intensifying, months-long Israeli operation in Jenin and neighbouring towns. Rights groups and local health officials say repeated incursions—often involving armoured vehicles, drones and house demolitions—have killed scores of residents, wrecked infrastructure and pushed thousands from their homes. In one recent incident, two young men on a motorcycle were hospitalised after a jeep struck them in nearby Yaʽbad.

Saturday’s attack on the pilgrims’ bus, residents fear, signals that even ostensibly civilian or religious journeys are no longer spared. Community leaders have called on international observers to demand an independent investigation and to guarantee safe passage for worshippers during the upcoming Hajj season.

Source: imemc