Israeli forces attacked the city of Jenin in the West Bank on Sunday night. They carried out air raids and moved into the city with hundreds of soldiers. At least eight people were killed in the operation.
“There is bombing from the air and there is invasion from the ground,” Mahmoud Al Saadi, director of the Palestinian branch of the Red Crescent organization in Jenin, told AFP news agency on Monday . “Several houses and places have been bombed. Smoke is coming from everywhere.”
According to Al Jazeera, residents reported at least ten airstrikes. In addition, at least six drones have been seen, the Reuters news agency writes.
The refugee camp near Jenin – which the Israelis say is a terrorist stronghold – was also a target.
“There were air strikes targeting the camp,” Palestinian ambulance driver Khaled Alahmad told Reuters. According to him, ambulances drove back and forth to evacuate the injured. Fourteen thousand refugees live in the camp in less than half a square kilometer.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health reports that at least eight people have been killed in Jenin. In addition, about fifty people were injured. Ten injured are in critical condition.
‘Command center attacked’
The Israeli army said it attacked a building that served as a command center for fighters from the Jenin Brigades. The target was used as an “advanced observation and reconnaissance center”, according to the Israelis. Weapons and explosives were also kept.
The Jenin Brigades is a unit consisting of various militant groups based in the refugee camp. According to the Jenin Brigades, they fought with Israeli forces on the night of Sunday and Monday.
There are hundreds of armed fighters from militant groups in the refugee camp, including Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah. It is not the first time that the camp has been attacked by Israeli troops.
Regular deadly confrontations
Deadly confrontations have been frequent in and around Jenin lately. Two weeks ago, for example, three militant gunmen were killed in an Israeli drone attack. It was the first drone strike in the West Bank since 2006.
A few days earlier, the military deployed helicopter gunships to assist troops and vehicles in an attack on Jenin. That attack followed the deployment of explosives by Palestinian fighters. They used it against an Israeli force that came to arrest two suspects.
In addition to the deaths in Jenin, the Palestinian Ministry of Health also reports a death in the Palestinian city of Ramallah. A 21-year-old man died there after being shot in the head at a checkpoint.
Violence has increased significantly in recent months. The Israeli army regularly raids cities. In addition, Israelis have been killed in deadly attacks by Palestinians. Angry Jewish settler gangs have also attacked Palestinian villages.
From the end of February 2022 to the end of February 2023, there were at least 244 Palestinian and 34 Israeli deaths. During the same period, 10,714 Palestinians and 271 Israelis were injured. Since 2004, not as many people have been killed by Israeli and Palestinian violence in the West Bank as this year. Israel has occupied the area since 1967.