At least 7 Palestinians are killed and 20 are detained as Israel conducts its largest operation in Jenin, West Bank, in two decades

The Israeli forces started air and ground attacks on the West Bank city of Jenin on Sunday night, marking their largest operation in the West Bank in over two decades.

In Jenin, a renowned hotbed of Palestinian armed factions, the Israeli army has conducted drone strikes and utilised a brigade-size force of ground men and heavy vehicles.

At least seven alleged Palestinian terrorists have died in the combat so far, and 20 or so have been captured. The Israeli officials have not provided a specific schedule for the operation, which is anticipated to last for days or maybe weeks.

The Jenin operation is the most recent instance of the increased violence that has been occurring between Israelis and Palestinians for more than a year. A number of Palestinian assaults have resulted in the deaths of dozens of Israelis, while Israel has also conducted frequent operations in the West Bank that have resulted in the deaths of over a hundred Palestinians. While many of those slain belonged to terrorist organisations, there were also unarmed civilians and those not actively engaged in combat.

Israel claims that majority of those killed were terrorists, however The Associated Press (AP) noted that there were additional casualties among non-combative individuals including youngsters hurling stones in protest of the invasions.

What is known about the operation in Jenin?
The Jenin area is being targeted by terrorist organisations, according to Israeli police. It was referred to be a “safe haven” for terrorists by a military spokeswoman. The spokesman showed satellite images of Jenin and said that nearby schools and United Nations (UN) buildings had been turned into “operational sites” by terrorists.

What Jenin has evolved into is this. Terrorist operational bases are close to educational institutions and UNRWA facilities.

acted in opposition to their “Safe Havens” image.twitter.com/uLckxdxE7J

— Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Hecht (@LtColRichard) July 3, 2023
Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, spokesman for the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), stated: “A combined operations hub for terrorist agents in the “Jenin Brigade.” Used as a centre for coordination and communications amongst terrorists, as well as an advanced observation and surveillance centre, a location where armed terrorists would congregate before and after terrorist attacks, and as a facility for arming weapons and explosives.

According to a source, drone attacks were also made on a combined war room of multiple Palestinian armed groups.

The so-called Jenin Battalion shared a joint war room with other armed groups in the city, according to the military. The room “served as an observation post, a gathering place for armed terrorists before and after terror acts, a cache for munitions and bombs, and a communications centre,” the military claimed.

Hecht said that the operation, which got underway at 1 am on Sunday night, had 2,000 people working on it. It is not an occupying operation, he said, but rather one targeting specified targets.

The Jerusalem Post said that “so far, at least seven suspected Palestinian terrorists have been killed and dozens wounded, but the real number is expected to be much higher and to expand in the coming days.”

The Arabic media has distributed images of dead Palestinians holding guns.

شهداء #جنين ❤️ pic.twitter.com/7g8n93w6Pc

July 3, 2023 — | Fatima ftouni (@ftounifatima)
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) has admitted that some of its members are battling Israeli forces in Jenin.

“Members of the Jenin Battalion, a local Islamic Jihad wing, claimed its members had opened fire on Israeli troops in the city and had targeted military vehicles, including a D9 bulldozer, with explosive devices,” according to a story in The Times of Israel.

Extremely high tensions trigger activities in Jenin
The previous few months have been especially tense due to a number of Palestinian terrorist acts and Israeli operations in which Palestinian casualties have risen. The last year has been the most volatile in more than 10 years of Israeli-Palestinian relations. The tensions have been exacerbated in recent weeks by a number of Palestinian assaults.

Following a spate of shooting incidents and fierce opposition to IDF incursions in Palestinian communities, there has been conjecture about a significant Israeli military operation in the West Bank for weeks, according to The Times of Israel.

Additionally, Jenin has a reputation for being a haven for armed organisations, whose agents often flee to the city. Tzachi Hanegbi, the national security adviser for Israel, referred to it as a “sanctuary city” for terrorists.

According to Hanegbi, “Jenin has turned into a’sanctuary city’ for terrorist agents, and the intelligence that has been gathered suggests that Iran and its front organisations, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, are attempting to supply terrorists with large amounts of money and weapons.”

According to The Times of Israel, the IDF has long regarded the city of Jenin and its surroundings as a “hotbed of terrorism” and many of the Palestinian assailants over the last year were from the area.

The Times of Israel said, “According to the IDF, since last year, about 50 shooting attacks have been carried out by locals, and 19 wanted Palestinians have fled to Jenin to seek refuge there from Israeli forces.”