A senior assistant to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed today, Tuesday, that Israel is nearing the conclusion of the military operation launched in Jenin. This operation has resulted in high casualties in the troubled city of the West Bank, marking the most intense fighting there in over two decades, alongside the displacement of thousands.
The operation, which began early yesterday, Monday, involved hundreds of special forces soldiers supported by drones. This led the Palestinian Authority to halt all communications with Israel and raised concerns from the United States and the United Nations regarding the humanitarian situation. Israel claims that the "Home and Garden" operation in the Jenin camp aims to "uproot armed Palestinian factions backed by Iran, which are behind the recent increase in shootings and bomb attacks," as well as initial activities for rocket manufacturing.
The Israeli army announced today that it is searching for 350 Palestinian militants, including 160 who have fortified themselves within the Jenin camp. They indicated they had destroyed an underground well used for weapon storage, two combat management units, and detonated a large explosive device found in Jenin, in addition to discovering and confiscating weapons and equipment. Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari stated that the forces would deploy in specific targeted areas of the camp to conduct further inspections today. He added, "If there is friction with the terrorists, we will also fight them."
As the operation escalated in the early hours of today, thousands of Palestinian civilians fled from the Israeli fire targeting their homes. The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that it evacuated 500 families or about three thousand people from the camp, which is home to around 14,000 within less than half a square kilometer and has been a focal point of violence in the West Bank for over a year.
Meanwhile, Palestinians continued to confront the Israeli attack, resulting in a number of injuries among Israeli soldiers. In recent developments, "Palestinian factions" threatened to respond to the largest Israeli operation since 2002, asserting that if Israel invaded the Jenin camp, it would pay an unforeseen price. The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has prepared for the possibility of Palestinian factions launching rockets from the Gaza Strip.
In the meantime, the death toll has risen to 10 from Israeli gunfire in Jenin, with over one hundred injured, including 20 in critical condition. The Islamic Jihad movement announced that four of its fighters were among the dead. The Islamic Resistance Movement "Hamas" reported the presence of one of its members among the deceased. It remains unclear whether the other five casualties, aged between 17 and 23, were fighters or civilians.
Offices and businesses across the West Bank are expected to close today, Tuesday, in response to calls for a general strike to protest the Israeli operation, which Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas described as a "war crime."
Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the Israeli forces' incursion into Jenin, reiterating their call for the Israeli authorities to exercise restraint and halt such actions. The Turkish Foreign Ministry expressed concern that the current tension in the region could lead to a new wave of violence and attacks.
