The UN’s special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese, has warned of the potential consequences of Israel’s escalating violence in the occupied West Bank going unchecked.
In a post on X, Albanese stated, “As the long awaited ceasefire in Gaza took place, Israel’s death machinery escalated its firing in the West Bank, killing 10 people in Jenin [on Tuesday].”
“If it is not forced to stop, Israel’s genocide of Palestinians will not be confined to Gaza. Mark my words.”
Francesca Albanese
UN’s special rapporteur’s remarks came as the Israeli army raid at Jenin city and its refugee camp in the occupied West Bank continues.
The raid on Jenin started on Tuesday, January 21, 2025 and comes as the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas holds in Gaza.
It’s the Israeli military’s biggest operation in the occupied West Bank since the start of the new year.
Israeli forces claim that they are targeting what they call “terrorism” in the Jenin refugee camp.
Dozens of Palestinians have been injured, including children.
Israeli forces have also launched raids on several other cities and villages across the occupied West Bank, including the Aida refugee camp north of Bethlehem.
Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz was reported as saying that the ongoing Iron Wall military operation in Jenin will mark a shift in the Israeli army’s security doctrine in the occupied West Bank.
An Israeli news agency quoted him as saying that his government would not allow the lives of Israeli settlers to be threatened in the Palestinian territory.
Also, the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, a Palestinian government body, reported that the number of Israeli military checkpoints and gates in the occupied West Bank has risen to 898.
It disclosed that more than 173 iron gates were installed after October 7, 2023, including 17 since the beginning of this year.
Jenin Faces Being “Gazafied”
Breaking the Silence, an Israeli veterans’ advocacy group, said that Israeli settlers have been allowed, over “multiple straight days”, to “torch villages throughout the West Bank” and the military has now launched an “all-out” operation in Jenin.
The group said that Jenin now faces being “Gazafied” by the Israeli military, “complete with airstrikes and destruction of infrastructure.”
According to Political Analyst, Mohamad Elmasry, Israeli forces are ramping up operations in the occupied West Bank – specifically in Jenin – to “distract” from the Gaza ceasefire deal, which is being viewed domestically as a “spectacular failure” for Prime Minister Netanyahu.
“The ceasefire in Gaza was kind of a defeat for Netanyahu. Israeli media reports are calling it an embarrassment for him to have Hamas, after all these months, still very much alive and well and operational in Gaza.
“Now what the Israeli government is doing is trying to distract from that and sort of overcompensate by escalating in the West Bank.”
Mohamad Elmasry
Elmasry highlighted that since the ceasefire began, Israel has made dozens of arrests in the West Bank, offsetting the release of 90 prisoners under the agreement so far.
“This is a way for the Israeli government to show its ardent supporters and especially those on the right wing that this is only temporary in Gaza and [Israel is] still able to do whatever we want in the West Bank.”
Mohamad Elmasry
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