At least five Palestinians were killed and 27 injured in the Israeli military operation in the north of the occupied West Bank on Monday, the Palestinian authorities reported in a new balance sheet.
“The death toll in Jenin has risen to five,” the Palestinian health ministry said, citing 27 wounded.
The Israeli offensive, which started from the air and continued overland, gave priority to a command center of the Jenin Brigade, which brings together all the militias of all factions to fight the Israeli forces together, also used as an observation center, coordination and planning center , stockpiling weapons and explosives, and hiding other militia members involved in attacks in recent months.
As part of a comprehensive anti-terrorist effort in Judea and Samaria [Cisjordânia]”Security forces attacked an operations center that served as the Jenin Brigade’s joint operational command center in the Jenin refugee camp,” an Israeli army spokesman said.
The command center was surrounded by United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Middle East (UNRWA) facilities, said army spokesman Richard Hecht, who said the Palestinian Authority and Jordan were aware of the operation.
Israeli forces are currently “still operating in the area,” mainly seizing weapons and searching for suspects in the camp, Hecht said, emphasizing that the operation will last “as long as necessary.”
“The operation is ongoing, mainly targeting the refugee camp, infrastructure, weapons, command centers and preventing future attacks”, to “break the dynamics of the terrorists”, whose strategy was to carry out attacks on Israeli targets and flee for shelter in the countryside, Hecht said.
In the past year and a half, as the attacks intensified, there have been more than 50 shooting attempts by Jenin militiamen, Hecht said.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant congratulated the security forces on the operation, saying they are “preparing all scenarios” while “closely monitoring the actions of the enemy”.
West Bank sees biggest spike in violence since Second Intifada (2000-2005)
“In the face of terrorism, we will take a proactive and decisive approach. Anyone who harms the citizens of Israel will pay a heavy price,” Gallant said of the operation, which was launched after weeks of speculation about the possibility that Israel could take a full operation would launch. scale military campaign in Israel in the West Bank.
The operation came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Sunday evening with the security cabinet, including Gallant, Chief of General Staff Hezi Halevi, and Shin Bet (Israel’s internal security agency) head Ronen Bar, to to discuss the situation in the West Bank.
The West Bank is experiencing its biggest spike in violence since the Second Intifada (2000-2005) and so far this year 147 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, mostly militiamen, in armed clashes with Israeli forces, but also civilians.
In addition to the Jenin casualties, whose numbers could rise, Palestinian Mohamed Imad Hasanein, 21, was shot in the head this morning in Al Bireh, in the central West Bank, near Ramallah, in an incident for which no further details have been released. .
At the same time, the area has witnessed the proliferation of new Palestinian armed groups, which are carrying out increasing attacks and have claimed 25 deaths on the Israeli side, mostly settlers.
Source: DN
