The Palestinian Ministry of Health announced the martyrdom of 9 Palestinians and the injury of more than 50, including 10 in critical condition, during the military operation launched by the Israeli army in the city of Jenin and its camp. This operation is expected to last at least another 24 hours to complete, according to a statement from the Israeli army, which has not yet specified the duration of the operation, only stating that it "may take more than a day, and that the forces will remain as long as necessary."
Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on the international community to protect the Palestinian people and impose sanctions on Israel for its violations. He urged the Palestinian leadership and faction secretaries to convene to discuss ways to confront the dangers facing Palestine, announcing the suspension of security communications with Israel.
Eyewitnesses reported that the Israeli army is besieging a mosque in the city of Jenin on the pretext that militants are hiding inside, warning that the mosque would be bombed if the Palestinian militants did not surrender. Palestine has requested an urgent meeting of the Arab League Council to address the ongoing Israeli military operation in Jenin and its camp, according to the Palestinian news agency "Wafa."
Palestine’s permanent representative to the Arab League, Ambassador Muhannad Al-Aklouk, stated: "Based on directives from the Palestinian leadership, an urgent request was made to hold a meeting of the Arab League Council at the level of permanent representatives in an extraordinary session tomorrow, Tuesday, to discuss how to confront the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, including the continuous assault since early today on the city of Jenin and its camp."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed that the operation will continue until the mission is accomplished, emphasizing that anyone who threatens security will have their blood spilled. Helicopters launched many rockets at homes and buildings inside the camp, while large military bulldozers began demolishing entrances to the camp. This operation is one of the largest incursions in the West Bank in twenty years, involving hundreds of soldiers and resulting in a firefight that lasted until the afternoon. The sounds of gunfire and explosions echoed across the city for several hours after the attack as drones flew at low altitudes. The "Jenin Brigade," which includes various armed factions based in the large refugee camp in the city, stated that they were engaged in clashes with Israeli forces and had downed a drone.
During the morning hours, at least six drones were seen flying over the densely populated camp, which has about 14,000 residents in less than half a square kilometer. The camp is at the heart of the escalating violence across the West Bank. For over a year, Israeli army raids in cities like Jenin have been linked to a series of bloody attacks launched by Palestinians against Israelis and assaults by crowds of Jewish settlers in Palestinian villages. A Palestinian ambulance driver described the situation in the refugee camp as a "real war," adding that there were airstrikes targeting the camp, with about five to seven ambulances entering at a time and returning loaded with casualties.
The Israeli army stated that its forces targeted a command center for militants from the Jenin Brigade as part of what it described as intensified efforts to fight terrorism in the West Bank, aiming to destroy infrastructure and prevent militants from using the refugee camp as a base. A spokesperson indicated that the operation would continue as long as needed, with officials noting that the forces could remain for days. Israeli Energy Minister Israel Katz, a member of the ministerial committee, stated on Israeli army radio, "No operation ends in a single day."
Foreign Minister Eli Cohen indicated on Monday that Israel does not intend to expand the operation in Jenin to include the entire West Bank. Cohen told reporters in Jerusalem, "Our goal is to focus on Jenin, and our focus is only on the terrorists and their cells." Hundreds of militants from factions including "Hamas," "Islamic Jihad," and "Fatah" are stationed in the refugee camp, which has been subjected to large-scale attacks by Israeli forces since the beginning of the year.
The Israeli forces claimed to have seized a homemade rocket launcher and hit a facility for weapon production and explosives storage. The military spokesperson noted that Monday's attack, which involved a force described as "the size of a brigade," or approximately 1,000 to 2,000 soldiers, aimed to help "break the safe haven concept in this camp, which has become a hornet's nest."
However, it remains unclear whether the operation will trigger a broader response from Palestinian factions, including armed groups in the Gaza Strip, the coastal enclave controlled by the "Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas." A statement from the joint operations room of armed Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza called on all resistance factions in Jenin and its camp to unite and confront the aggression in a coordinated manner, emphasizing that "the continuation of attacks on Jenin and the occupation's behavior will determine the nature of the resistance's response."
The statement from the Iranian-backed "Islamic Jihad" warned that "the resistance will confront the enemy and defend the Palestinian people," asserting that "all options are open to strike the enemy in response to its aggression in Jenin." Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant stated that the forces "are closely monitoring our enemies' behavior," adding, "The defense establishment is prepared for all scenarios." Following a government session to assess the military operation in Jenin, Galant stated, "We have given our forces in Jenin the freedom to make decisions."
The Israeli army announced the deployment of the Iron Dome in anticipation of any response from Gaza and Lebanon. Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, described the operation as "a new war crime against our defenseless people." The Israeli army, which routinely accuses armed factions of deploying their fighters in civilian areas, stated that the targeted building was used as an "advanced surveillance and observation center" and a location for weapons and explosives as well as a communication and coordination center for Palestinian fighters. They released an aerial photo allegedly showing the target, indicating that it was located near two schools and a medical center.
Footage showed Israeli bulldozers plowing roads in the camp, which was largely destroyed by Israeli forces during a prior incursion two decades ago, while gunfire continued, and the aircraft bombed at least one other target in the afternoon. Just days before the drone attacks last month, the Israeli army used military helicopters to assist in evacuating forces and vehicles involved in a raid in Jenin after militants used explosives against a unit targeting two suspects. The escalation of violence in the West Bank over the past fifteen months has raised increasing international concerns, amid periodic raids by the Israeli army in cities like Jenin and a series of bloody attacks by Palestinians against Israelis and assaults by Jewish settlers in Palestinian villages.
In response to the ongoing situation, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Monday condemning "in the strongest terms" the Israeli attack on the city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank and calling for an end to these violations. The statement warned of the grave dangers of the ongoing Israeli escalation, urging influential international parties to intervene "to put an end to these violations and provide protection to the Palestinian people, whose suffering increases day by day."
As these developments unfold, reports emerged about a declaration of general mobilization, with preparations beginning in the city and its camp for extended confrontations. Calls were issued to residents to participate in resisting the attacks in all areas of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The Lebanese Foreign Ministry condemned the Israeli aggression on Jenin, which "targeted all residents without distinction between civilians and combatants or among youth, children, and the elderly, utilizing airstrikes and heavy weaponry, deliberately harming civilians and obstructing their medical assistance while encircling the camp."
An Israeli military spokesperson stated that Monday's operation, which involved a force described as "the size of a brigade" or approximately 1,000 to 2,000 soldiers, aimed to assist in "breaking the safe haven concept in this camp, which has become a hornet's nest."
