Israeli security forces airstriked Jenin, in the northern occupied West Bank and the focus of the Palestinian militant movement, early this morning in a large-scale military operation that has left at least four Palestinians dead. "As part of an extensive counter-terrorism effort in Judea and Samaria (West Bank), security forces attacked an operations center, which served as the joint operational command center of the Jenin Brigade in the Jenin refugee camp," a report said. Spokesperson for the Israeli Army.
The operation in Jenin has so far left three dead and 27 Palestinians injured, seven of them seriously, confirmed the Palestinian Ministry of Health. The Israeli offensive, which began by air and continued by land, prioritized the command center of the Jenin Brigade - which brings together all the militias of all factions to fight the Israeli troops together -, which was also used as a center of observation, coordination and planning, as a warehouse for weapons and explosives, and as a hideout for other "terrorists" involved in attacks in recent months.
The command center was surrounded by UNRWA facilities, said the international spokesman for the Army, Richard Hecht, who indicated that both the Palestinian Authority and Jordan have been informed of the operation.
At this time, Israeli troops "continue to operate in the area," mainly seizing weapons and searching for suspects within the camp, Heht said, adding that the operation will last "as long as it is necessary, with no time limit." "The operation is still ongoing, we started last night (around 01:00) an extensive counter-terrorism operation in Jenin, focusing mainly on the refugee camp, infrastructure, weapons, command centers, and thwarting future attacks," Hecht said.
According to the spokesman, the idea of the operation is to "break the dynamics of the terrorists", whose strategy was to commit attacks against Israeli targets and run for refuge in the countryside. In the last year and a half, when the attacks intensified, more than 50 attempted shooting attacks have been carried out by militants based in Jenin, where some 19 "terrorists" fleeing from other areas of the West Bank are also hiding, Hecht said.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant congratulated the security forces for the operation and assured that they are "preparing for each scenario" while "closely observing the actions of the enemies." "In the face of terrorism, we will take a proactive and decisive approach. Anyone who harms the citizens of Israel will pay a heavy price," Gallant said of the operation that comes after weeks of speculation about whether or not Israel would launch a large-scale military campaign. stop over the West Bank.
The operation comes after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last night met his security cabinet - including Gallant; the chief of the General Staff, Hezi Halevi or that of the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar- to discuss the situation in the West Bank.
In an incursion two weeks ago in Jenin - which lasted 9 hours and left 7 Palestinians dead - the Army used combat helicopters for the first time since the Second Intifada; and three days later it launched the first drone air strike on that territory since 2006, precisely for the "selective assassination" of three militiamen from the Jenin Brigade who were in a car. Between the two episodes, two Hamas members carried out an attack on the settlement of Eli, in the north of the occupied West Bank, in which four settlers were killed, which followed days of settler attacks on Palestinian villages that left extensive damage and one death; further raising the tension in the area and the voices in favor of a large-scale military operation, especially on the extreme right.
The Palestinian National Authority, which rules small parts of the occupied West Bank, called the operation a "brutal aggression." "Our Palestinian people will not kneel, they will not surrender, they will not raise the white flag and stand firm on their land in the face of this brutal aggression, until the occupation is defeated and freedom is achieved," said the spokesman for the Palestinian Presidency, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, according to the official Palestinian agency Wafa.
For its part, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry denounced "Israeli crimes against defenseless civilians, including attacks on ambulances, medical personnel and health centers that deprived the wounded of first aid, as well as attacks on mosques and homes."
The West Bank is experiencing its highest peak of violence since the Second Intifada (2000-2005) and so far this year, 146 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, most of them militants in armed clashes with Israeli troops, but also civilians, including 23 minors. In addition to the Jenin casualties, the number of which may still rise, this morning Palestinian Mohamed Imad Hasanein, 21, was shot in the head by Israeli gunfire in Al Bireh, in the central West Bank near Ramallah, in an incident that No further details have been released.
In parallel, the area has seen the proliferation of new Palestinian armed groups, which carry out more and more attacks and have left 25 dead on the Israeli side, most of them settlers and five of them minors.
