A senior assistant to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Israel is nearing the end of its Jenin operation after the bloodiest violence in the West Bank town in more than two decades killed ten Palestinians and caused others to flee.
The raid, which began early Monday and involved hundreds of commandos backed up by drones, forced the internationally supported Palestinian authority to halt contacts with Israel and sparked worry among the United States and the United Nations about humanitarian concerns.
Israel said the “Home and Garden” operation in Jenin’s tenement-style refugee camp aims to eradicate Iranian-backed Palestinian armed factions behind a recent rise in gun and bomb attacks, as well as preliminary efforts to assemble rockets.
A Palestinian injured in the fighting died overnight, and another body was discovered in the morning, bringing the death toll to ten, with about 100 people injured, 20 of them gravely, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
Four of the dead were identified as fighters from the Islamic Jihad faction. Another Islamist group, Hamas, claimed a fifth. It was unclear whether the remaining five dead, all guys aged 17 to 23, were militants or civilians.
The operation “is close to completing the achievement of the goals set,” Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanebi told Kan radio following a brief respite in the fighting overnight.
The Israeli military confirmed the deaths of nine Palestinians by its forces. It stated that all were combatants.
Offices and businesses across the occupied West Bank were set to close on Tuesday in response to demands for a national strike to condemn the operation, which Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has called a “war crime.”
The Palestinian Red Crescent claimed it had evacuated 500 families, or approximately 3,000 individuals, from the camp, which houses 14,000 people in less than half a square kilometer and has been one of the focal points of a year-long wave of violence in the occupied West Bank.
Hundreds of fighters from Islamic Jihad, Hamas, and Fatah are housed in the camp, which has been fortified with a variety of barriers and observation positions to deter regular army operations.
On Monday, Israeli bulldozers plowed through the camp’s streets in search of improvised explosive devices, disrupting water and electrical supplies, while Israeli officials said they would seek to restore services.
The military claimed on Tuesday that border police discovered an underground pit used to store explosives in the refugee camp and demolished two observation posts.
What is Jenin operation?
The Jenin operation conducted by Israel was a military offensive that aimed to address security concerns and disrupt alleged terrorist activities in the Palestinian city of Jenin. The operation, which took place over a period of time, resulted in significant clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants.
During the course of the operation, Israel signaled that it was approaching completion, suggesting that the offensive had achieved its objectives. However, the operation was not without consequences, as it resulted in the loss of lives, with 10 Palestinians reported dead. The exact circumstances surrounding these fatalities and the level of civilian casualties remain unclear.
– photo via BBC
The Jenin operation drew international attention and sparked criticism from various quarters, including human rights organizations and some political entities, which expressed concerns over the use of force and potential violations of international humanitarian law.
The Israeli government, on the other hand, justified the operation as a necessary measure to combat terrorism and protect its citizens.
The situation in Jenin highlights the ongoing conflict and tensions in the region, underscoring the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Efforts toward achieving a lasting and peaceful resolution remain challenging, with the Jenin operation serving as a reminder of the deep-rooted issues that persist in the region.
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