UN condemns Israel's use of 'modern military weaponry' in Jenin

According to the UN human rights commissioner, the violence in the occupied West Bank "risks spiralling out of control," after Israel used lethal force in a raid on the Jenin refugee camp, killing at least seven Palestinians, including children.

On Monday, Israeli police attacked the Jenin refugee camp, arresting two individuals, reports Al Jazeera.

What followed was a 20-year first: the employment of helicopter gunships in the occupied West Bank, with the gunships pummelling the camp and injuring 91 people in addition to the deaths.

Volker Turk of the United Nations made the remarks on Friday, warning that the situation was deteriorating rapidly due to the use of heavy weaponry and demanding Israel to halt the violence.

"This week's violence in the occupied West Bank risks spiralling out of control, fuelled by strident political rhetoric, and an escalation in the use of advanced military weaponry by Israel," Turk said in a statement.

He added that the raid was a "major intensification of the use of weaponry more generally associated with the conduct of armed hostilities, rather than a law enforcement situation".

He described the helicopter gunship air strikes as a "major intensification of the use of weaponry more generally associated with the conduct of armed hostilities, rather than a law enforcement situation."

Turk urged Israel to follow international law, saying that the current scenario "only serves to drive Israelis and Palestinians deeper into an abyss."

"Israel must urgently reset its policies and actions in the West Bank in line with international human rights standards, including protecting and respecting the right to life," Turk said.

A day after the violent raid, Palestinian gunmen killed four Israeli settlers at a petrol station between Ramallah and Nablus.