Hundreds of civilians began leaving their homes in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Thursday as Israeli forces continued military operations around the city of Jenin, according to Palestinian officials.
Jenin Governor Kamal Abu al-Rab told AFP news agency, referring to a nearby refugee camp. Have started to leave.” City.
“There are dozens of camp residents who have started to leave,” Jenin resident Salim Saadi told AFP. “The army is in front of my house. They can enter any time.”
Jenin: What is Israel doing in the West Bank?
Earlier this week, Israel raided the Jenin area, which it says is a center of Iran-backed Palestinian terrorist activity. The operation began days after a ceasefire in the war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the West Bank operation, codenamed “Iron Wall”, aims to “eliminate terrorism” in the region, particularly in the refugee camp adjacent to Jenin.
Now in its fourth day, the military operation has so far killed at least 12 Palestinians and injured more than 40, according to the Palestinian health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and militants in its figures.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Thursday that its troops had killed two members of the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad overnight, accusing them of involvement in a bus attack on January 6 that killed three Israelis. and six others were injured.
However, Hamas’ military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, said both men were members of Hamas, which has also claimed responsibility for the bus attack.
“He was killed after a gunfight,” an IDF statement said. It said an Israeli soldier was also injured. But he insisted he had not asked residents to evacuate the area.
Israel: no evacuation orders
“We emphasize that in order to maintain the safety of residents in the area, the IDF will enable any residents to exit the area through safe and organized routes,” an IDF statement to AFP said. Used to be.”
Hundreds of people left their homes in the camp, dragging suitcases or carrying plastic bags with their belongings, after saying they had heard the evacuation message.
“Yesterday, we didn’t want to go, we were at home,” Hussam Saadi, 16, told Reuters news agency. “Today, they sent a drone into our neighborhood and told us to leave the camp and they would blow it up.”
Violence has escalated in the Israeli-occupied West Bank since Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, prompting an Israeli counter-offensive on the Gaza Strip.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 850 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since the Israel-Hamas war began, either by Israeli troops or by aggressive, extremist settlers.
During the same period, Israel says 29 of its civilians, including soldiers, have been killed in either Palestinian terrorist attacks or Israeli military operations.
Israel captured the West Bank, so called because of its location on the west bank of the Jordan River, from the State of Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War and has held it ever since.
mf/sms (AFP, Reuters)
