In the occupied West Bank, in the Jenin refugee camp, there have been serious shootings between Israeli forces and armed Palestinian militants, writes the BBC.
Israel has launched its largest military operation in years, and health officials have said nine Palestinians have been killed and at least 100 others wounded. Israel has announced that this will put an end to Jenin’s “hotbed of terrorism”. Palestinians call it a war crime.
Jenin has become home to a new generation of Palestinian militants, disappointed by aging Palestinian leaders and the restrictions imposed by the Israeli occupation. The city has experienced several military operations in recent years.
In 2002, during the second intifada (Arab liberation struggle in Arab territories occupied by Israel), Israel carried out a full-scale invasion of Jenin. Ten days of fighting left at least 52 Palestinian guerrillas and 23 Israeli soldiers dead.
On the evening of the 3rd of July, more than 20 hours after the start of the operation, hundreds of Israeli soldiers were still in Jenin.
Jenin refugee camp houses about 18,000 people and is now declared an Israeli military zone. The city center is covered in acrid smoke from the tires burned by the protesters.
The Israeli army has cut off electricity to the camp, and telephone communication is also impossible, meaning it is difficult to get information about what is going on. Palestinian medics also face difficulties in reaching the wounded to provide aid.
The mood at the Palestinian hospital near the camp’s main entrance is grim. A man told the BBC that he had gone to meet his brother’s friend but was wounded while fleeing the shooting. Another said that what is happening in the camp is a “massacre”, the electricity has been cut off, the roads have been dug up and the camp will be destroyed.
The Israeli army has said it is acting on accurate intelligence and does not want to harm civilians,
but many have been caught in the crossfire. On the evening of the 3rd of July, the Israelis allowed about 500 Palestinian families to leave the camp. Locals told the BBC that the army detained some men and teenagers.
The first Israeli drone strike targeted an apartment building where the army said Palestinian militants were hiding. Drones were also used in further attacks, and an army brigade was deployed in Jenin. The army representative called it an anti-terrorist operation and informed that attention was paid to the confiscation of weapons.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has praised his forces for entering a “terrorist hotbed” and has reiterated that it is doing so while avoiding harm to civilians. The Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority reacted sharply:
“What is happening is an attempt to completely destroy the camp and relocate its inhabitants.”
Jordan has stated that the operation is a clear violation of international human rights legislation but the US has expressed support for Israel’s “struggle for security and the right to defend its citizens against Hamas and other terrorist groups.”
The West Bank has seen an increase in the number of violent clashes in recent months. Since the beginning of the year, Israeli forces have killed more than 140 Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and another 36 have died in the Gaza Strip.
On the other hand, 24 Israelis, two foreigners, and a Palestinian worker died in Palestinian attacks.
Read also: US worried about Israel’s plans to expand settlements in the West Bank