The Israeli military withdrew its troops from the Jenin refugee camp, a militant stronghold in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, July 5, 2023, ending an intense two-day raid.
The two-day operation claimed the lives of at least 12 Palestinians, drove thousands of people from their homes and caused great damage. One Israeli soldier was also killed.
The Israeli military has claimed that it killed only militants, but it has not provided details.
The Jenin refugee camp, known as a long-time bastion of Palestinian militants, was struck early Monday, July 3, 2023, by the Israeli military in an operation which it said was aimed at destroying and confiscating weapons.
Thousands of residents fled the camp in search of refuge with relatives or in shelters as large military bulldozers tore through alleyways, severely damaging the roads and structures.
According to the Israeli military, a group of militants in a Jenin cemetery were the target of an airstrike carried out late Tuesday, July 4, 2023. It said the gunmen threatened forces moving out of the camp. Israeli and Palestinian officials also reported fighting near a hospital in Jenin late Tuesday.
The military disclosed that it had confiscated thousands of weapons, bomb-making materials and caches of money. Weapons were found in militant hideouts and civilian areas alike, in one case beneath a mosque, the military said.
The withdrawal occurred hours after a Hamas member plowed his car into a busy Tel Aviv bus stop and started stabbing people, injuring eight people including a pregnant woman who apparently lost her unborn child. An armed witness shot and killed the assailant. According to Hamas, the assault was carried out in retaliation for the Israeli offensive.
Israeli officials claim that five missiles fired by terrorists in Gaza, which is governed by Hamas, early on Wednesday were stopped. Multiple targets in Gaza were attacked by Israeli warplanes. In Jenin, fighting continued until shortly before the withdrawal on Wednesday morning.
Residents started coming out of their homes on Wednesday morning after the army left. They discovered mountains of debris and streets strewn with burnt and smashed autos.
In an operation that involved numerous airstrikes and hundreds of ground forces, the army claimed to have severely damaged extremist groups in the Jenin refugee camp.
However, after nearly a year and a half of intense combat in the West Bank, it was still uncertain whether there would be any long-lasting effects.
Netanyahu Warns That Raid Is Not A One-Off
Ahead of the withdrawal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to carry out similar operations if necessary.
During a visit to a military post on the outskirts of Jenin, Netanyahu said, “At these moments we are completing the mission, and I can say that our extensive operation in Jenin is not a one-off.” He added, “We will eradicate terrorism wherever we see it and we will strike at it.”
The Jenin raid was one of the most intense Israeli military operations in the West Bank since an armed Palestinian uprising against Israel’s open-ended occupation ended two decades ago.
The U.N.’s human rights Chief noted that the scale of the operation “raises a host of serious issues with respect to international human rights norms and standards, including protecting and respecting the right to life.”
Since early 2022, Israel has been carrying out near daily raids in the West Bank in response to a series of deadly Palestinian attacks. It claims the raids are meant to crack down on Palestinian militants and said they are necessary because the Palestinian Authority is too weak.
The Palestinians say such violence is the inevitable result of 56 years of occupation and the absence of any political process with Israel. They also point to increased West Bank settlement construction and violence by extremist settlers.
