Israeli troops fire warning shots near diplomats touring West Bank

Video from the incident showed diplomats and their staff running for cover and into their vehicles, sparking criticism of the IDF as pressure mounts on Israel over the war in Gaza.

European nations have expressed outrage after Israeli soldiers fired warning shots towards a delegation of foreign diplomats who were visiting the West Bank, including a senior British official.

The group of 25 diplomats from Europe and countries including Egypt, Jordan, Russia and China, were visiting a refugee camp in the city of Jenin as part of a trip organised by the Palestinian Authority, which administers much of the occupied West Bank. Two British diplomats are understood to have been among their number. Neither was hurt.

Israel said that the delegation had “deviated from the approved route”, prompting its troops to fire warning shots to scare them away from “an area where they were not authorised to be”.

A spokesman for the Israel Defence Forces said the IDF regretted the “inconvenience caused” and said senior officials would contact diplomats to inform them of the results of its internal investigation into the incident. Footage shared by the Palestinian Authority showed members of the delegation running for cover as shots ring out.

Members of a diplomatic delegation from the European Union leave in a rush after shots were fired over their heads in Jenin. Picture: AFP.

Mohammad Abed, a journalist who was accompanying the delegation, said Israeli soldiers had fired the warning shots from a distance of about 100m ten minutes after the group arrived at the camp. “This led to fear and panic,” he said, adding that the diplomats were immediately evacuated and no one was hurt.

The incident provoked opprobrium across Europe, where outrage has been growing as Israel continues its offensive in Gaza. Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, vowed yesterday (Wednesday) in his first press conference for five months that “in the end, all parts of Gaza will be under Israeli control”, adding: “Our work isn’t over yet.”

Several countries, including France, Italy and Portugal, said that they would summon the Israeli ambassadors in their respective capitals in response to the shooting incident.

Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said: “Any threats on diplomats’ lives are unacceptable.” She said warning shots were “still shots” and that those responsible should be held “accountable”.

The German foreign ministry condemned Israel’s “unprovoked shelling” and said it had been a matter of luck that “nothing worse had happened”.

The Spanish foreign ministry said: “We are in contact with other affected countries to jointly co-ordinate a response to what happened, which we strongly condemn.”

Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been forced from their homes since January, when Israel launched an operation in Jenin to root out militants.

The Palestinian Authority’s foreign ministry said the diplomatic delegation had been “undertaking an official mission to observe and assess the humanitarian situation and document the ongoing violations perpetrated by” Israel. It called the Israeli military’s actions a violation of international law.

Hamish Falconer, minister for the Middle East, said: “Today’s events in Jenin are unacceptable. I have spoken to our diplomats who were affected. Civilians must always be protected and diplomats allowed to do their jobs. There must be a full investigation and those responsible be held accountable.”

The Times