Israeli raids in West Bank city of Jenin enter second day
July 4, 2023
Israel's military operations in the city and nearby refugee camp of Jenin in the occupied West Bank — the biggest in the area for years — entered their second day on Tuesday.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said that a Palestinian who was wounded during clashes on Monday died overnight, bringing the death toll up to 10.
100 people have been wounded in the raid since Monday, 20 of them seriously, according to the ministry.
The clashes mark an escalation in violence following back-and-forth attacks between the two sides in the occupied West Bank over the past weeks.
What did Palestinian groups say about the raid?
The Iran-backed Islamic Jihad militant group, which is listed by the European Union and the United States as a terrorist organization, claimed four of the dead as its fighters.
The larger militant group Hamas, which is also classified by the EU and US as a terrorist organization, said that one of its fighters had been killed in the raid.
The president of the internationally backed-Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, described the raid as a "war crime." Palestinian businesses across the occupied West Bank were expected to close on Tuesday as part of a general strike.
What did Israel say about the raid?
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said "counterterrorism activities" had continued overnight into Tuesday. It said that the army had worked to "neutralize" an underground shaft used to store explosives.
"Furthermore, IDF soldiers located and dismantled two operational situation rooms belonging to terrorist organizations in the area," they said.
IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari was cited by the Israeli daily The Jerusalem Post as saying that only 10 targets remained in Jenin and that the operation could be over within a matter of days.
Israeli National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi told Kan radio that the operation was "close to completing the achievement of the goals set" on Tuesday, Reuters reported.
Thousands flee Jenin
Jenin deputy governor Kamal Abu al-Roub told the French news agency AFP that 3,000 people had fled the city. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society also said that 3,000 Palestinians had fled the camp.
Israeli security officials said that the IDF had not ordered residents to evacuate, according to Israel's Haaretz newspaper.
The refugee camp adjacent to Jenin is home to at least 14,000 people living in an area of less than half a square kilometer.
sdi/ab (Reuters, AFP, AP)