Israel fires 'warning shots' near diplomats in West Bank
A number of countries have condemned the Israeli military's actions after troops fired warning shots in the vicinity of a diplomatic delegation visiting the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli military accused them of leaving an approved route and said shots were fired into the air "to distance them". It said it "regrets the inconvenience caused".
No injuries were reported in the incident, which happened in the northern city of Jenin, where Israeli security forces have been conducting a major operation against Palestinian armed groups since January.
Spain, Egypt, France, Turkey, Ireland and Italy - some of which had diplomats present - were among the nations to condemn the Israeli troops' actions.
Several countries involved have said they will summon Israeli ambassadors to account for the incident on Wednesday, calling for investigations and explanations.
The Palestinian Authority (PA), which governs parts of the occupied West Bank, has accused the Israeli security forces of deliberately targeting the delegation in a "heinous crime".
It said the group were there on an official visit with Palestinian authorities to "observe and assess the humanitarian situation and document the ongoing violations perpetrated by the [Israeli] occupying forces against the Palestinian people".
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that its troops had fired "warning shots" to ensure the delegation did not enter "an area where they were not authorised to be" in Jenin.
It said the diplomats had "deviated from the approved route" and that it "regrets the inconvenience caused" by the incident.
The IDF added it would speak to representatives of the nations involved to update them on the result of an internal investigation into the incident.
EPAA European diplomat said the group had gone to the area "to see the destruction" caused by months of Israeli operations.
The PA said dozens of countries were involved, including Egypt, Jordan, Spain, Turkey, France, Ireland and the UK.
Condemnation has come in from nations in Europe and the wider Middle East, with particular criticism saved for the risk it posed to the lives of diplomats.
Spain, Italy and France were among those that said they would summon their Israeli ambassadors to clarify what happened, while the EU's foreign policy chief said any threats to the lives of diplomats are "unacceptable" and called for those responsible to be held accountable.
Ireland confirmed two of its diplomats, based in Ramallah, were among those in the group, and Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Micheál Martin said it would be "demanding answers from Israel on exactly how this came to happen".
Egypt said the shots being fired on the group "violates all diplomatic norms", while Turkey said it was "yet another demonstration of Israel's systematic disregard for international law and human rights".
Both nations called for an immediate investigation and explanation from Israel.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the start of a large-scale operation to "defeat terrorism" in Jenin in January. The operation was later expanded into Tulkarm and Tubas.
The UN says 40,000 residents of Palestinian refugee camps in the areas have been forcibly displaced after being ordered to leave by Israeli authorities and told that they would not be allowed to return for a year.
In February, the Israeli military announced it had killed 60 fighters in its operations and arrested 280 others. The UN said last week that 124 people have been killed by Israeli forces across the West Bank since the start of the year
Hundreds of Palestinians and dozens of Israelis have been killed in a surge in violence in the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza, which was triggered by Hamas's deadly attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023.
Israel has built about 160 settlements housing some 700,000 Jews since it occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war.
The vast majority of the international community considers the settlements illegal under international law - a position supported by an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) last year - although Israel disputes this.