Israel initiated a counterterrorism operation in the West Bank city of Jenin on Monday. Eight Palestinians were killed in the raid, the largest Israeli attack on the West Bank in decades.
Summary
Israel initiated a counterterrorism operation in the West Bank city of Jenin on Monday. Eight Palestinians were killed in the raid, the largest Israeli attack on the West Bank in decades.
- Gunfire and explosions from drone strikes could be heard throughout the day as the Israelis battled fighters from the Jenin Brigades, an Islamist terrorist group that recruits from Jenin’s refugee camp.
- The operation involved hundreds of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) personnel.
- An IDF spokesperson said the mission was to strike “terrorist infrastructure in the Jenin area.” Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh praised the “heroic Jenin camp” for its resistance to “the occupation and its invasions.”
- The operation comes amid a growing outcry among Israeli civilians for tough responses to recent terror attacks, including a June mass shooting attack that killed 4 Israeli civilians.
- Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, and Iran all condemned what Jordan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry called the “Israeli aggression on Jenin.” US officials have not yet released a statement on the Israeli military operation.
- The Guardian observed Monday’s raid was a “back to the future” moment for Jenin, which witnessed some of the worst fighting during the Second Intifada, or Palestinian terrorist uprising, in the early 2000s.The New York Times reported the Israeli drone strikes targeted a joint operations center used by the Jenin Brigade, a weapons production facility and an explosive device storage site.
- According to CNN, the IDF carried out at least 10 airstrikes and Israeli bulldozers could be seen in the streets of Jenin tearing up roads to disarm improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
- Breitbart observed Monday’s operation was the largest Israeli offensive action in the West Bank since Operation Defensive Shield commenced in 2002 during the Second Intifada.
- Fox News reported the approximately 2,000 troops deployed in Jenin could remain in the West Bank for up to 48 hours after today’s clashes. “Over the past hours, our security forces have been operating against terror hotspots in the city of Jenin. 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,” said Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in a statement.
- The Wall Street Journal traced the origins of the crisis. As Stephen Kalin and Anas Baba wrote, “Tensions across the West Bank have risen since a series of attacks by Palestinians and Arab Israelis—including several from the Jenin area—left 19 dead inside Israel between March and May 2022. The Israeli army responded by launching Operation Wave Breaker, in which the army stepped up its raids into Palestinian areas to break up suspected militant cells and foil imminent attacks.”
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© Dominic Moore, 2023
