Israeli commandos disguised as nurses and doctors have raided a West Bank hospital, killing three alleged terrorists in a lightning-fast, clandestine operation.

CCTV footage captured the moment IDF soldiers dressed in civilian clothing infiltrated Ibn Sina hospital in Jenin.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the operation had taken place on Tuesday, after Palestinian media released CCTV video footage showing people dressed as medical workers and Muslim civilians entering a hospital in Jenin, brandishing assault rifles.

The team of IDF and police counter-terrorism commandos entered Ibn Sina Hospital in Jenin overnight, killing a man they identified as a member of Hamas, and two other suspects, the Israeli military said.

Mohammed Jalamneh, 27, “had contacts with Hamas headquarters abroad” and was plotting a terrorist attack “in the immediate future”, the IDF said.

Mr Jalamneh was at the hospital to sit with a friend who was convalescing after being wounded in an IDF drone strike on a cemetery in Jenin last year.

The undercover commandos entered the hospital, shot the three men with silenced weapons and promptly left.

Haaretz, the Israeli newspaper, quoted unnamed hospital employees who said the commandos entered the hospital one by one wearing disguises.

The CCTV footage, released by Palestinian media, appears to show the assault team gathering in an entrance foyer in the hospital at the start of the raid.

The first two commandos, one a man wearing a white doctor’s coat and a facemask, the other a woman in a headscarf, pass through the room, stalking across the tiled floor with their shortened rifles raised.

Behind them, another man wearing medical scrubs carries a rifle in one hand and a wheelchair in the other.

In total, around a dozen commandos – all either disguised as medical workers or civilians – can be seen gathering in the hospital.

One man, dressed as a devout Muslim with white prayer cap and long brown robe, carries a suppressed weapon and uses hand signals to direct the commandos to fan out and cover the corridors and doorways.

In the background, several commandos, some wearing hijabs, have their weapons trained on a civilian who has been made to kneel against a wall, with their hands held high.

The civilian’s jacket is removed before their hands are tied behind their back, with their jacket then put over their head as a makeshift hood.

Bags of equipment are brought in and laid down as one of the commandos puts on a balaclava before advancing deeper into the hospital.

After less than a minute, the commandos have moved on and the hallway is empty, save for the hooded civilian.

 

A second video clip released by Palestinian media appeared to show inside the rooms where the three Palestinians were killed.

Two blood-stained chairs are shown, before the camera arrives at a hospital bed, which is also covered in blood. A bullet hole in the pillow suggests the target was killed where he lay.

The Israeli military later released an image showing a handgun with two spare magazines that they said was retrieved during the operation.

Ten other people were reportedly in the same ward where the raid took place but they were unharmed.

The IDF claimed Mr Jalamneh transferred weapons and ammunition to “terrorists” in order to “promote shooting attacks” and reportedly planned a raid attack inspired by the Hamas massacre on Oct 7.

The two other people killed in the raid were identified as Mohammed Ghazawi, who was affiliated with the Jenin Battalions who allegedly fired at Israeli troops in the area, and his brother Basil, said to be involved with Islamic Jihad.

A deputy director of the hospital was quoted as saying Mr Ghazawi had been in and out of the hospital since October when he was injured and suffered from partial paralysis of the lower body.

International humanitarian law prohibits parties from using hospital garbs or Red Cross signs for military means.

Base for launching terrorist attacks

The IDF accused the suspects of using the hospital as a base for launching terrorist attacks.

Tuesday’s raid is believed to have been carried out by so-called Mista-arvim teams drawn from Israel’s elite Shayetet 13 naval special forces unit and Israeli counter-terror police.

The Mista-arvim units take their name from the phrase meaning “those who live among the Arabs”, which was used to describe Arabic-speaking Jews living in the Middle East.

The secretive units are typically used for intelligence gathering, counter-terror and hostage rescue missions.

Training for the Mista-arvim squads reportedly takes 15 months and includes extensive lessons in Arabic language, culture and customs, as well as courses on disguises.

Israel’s special forces have for decades relied on disguises for their operations.

In 1972, commandos disguised themselves as technicians in white overalls and stormed a hijacked aircraft in Tel Aviv, freeing the passengers, killing two terrorists and capturing two others.

Perhaps most famously, a year later, commandos disguised as romantic couples complete with wigs, dresses and handbags, slipped into Beirut on a mission to assassinate the top leaders of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation.

A young Ehud Barak, who would later become Israel’s prime minister, took part in the raid, which came in the aftermath of the Munich Olympics massacre.

The refugee camp in the city of Jenin in the West Bank has been a focus of IDF clashes with Palestinians for months.

At least 58 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank this year, according to rights groups.