Israel Launches Extensive Airstrikes on Militant Targets in West Bank
Israel launched its most extensive airstrikes in nearly two decades on militant targets in the occupied West Bank on Monday. The operation targeted armed Palestinians in the city of Jenin, which has been a hotspot of escalating violence over the past year. At least seven Palestinians were killed in the airstrikes.
The Israeli military stated that the operation began with drone attacks from the air, followed by ground forces moving in. The operation focused on targets in the densely populated Jenin refugee camp, which is home to about 17,000 residents. Israel estimates that there are hundreds of armed Palestinian militants in the Jenin area, known for attacks against Israelis and deadly Israeli Army arrest raids.
Jenin is a stronghold of the Iran-backed Islamic Jihad group and of Hamas, the Islamic militant group that controls the Palestinian enclave of Gaza. Over the past six months, more than 50 shooting attacks have been carried out from the Jenin area against Israeli targets, according to Israeli military officials.
Following the operation, residents of the Jenin refugee camp expressed fear and described the situation as a war zone. The Israeli military spokesperson stated that the goal of the operation was to break the safe-haven mindset of the camp, as the military had identified the camp as a shelter for suspects involved in attacks against Israelis.
The Palestinian health ministry confirmed the death of at least seven Palestinians in Jenin, while more than 20 people were wounded. Israel claimed that it had killed seven armed suspects. The military described the city and the camp as an active combat area, with continuing exchanges of fire.
The recent violence in the northern West Bank has seen attacks on Israelis by armed local Palestinian militias, frequent arrest raids by the Israeli military, and reprisals by extremist Jewish settlers. This year has been one of the deadliest for Palestinians in the West Bank in over a decade, with over 140 deaths in the past six months. It has also been a deadly year for Israelis, with nearly 30 killed in Arab attacks.
This operation marks the most extensive airstrikes in the West Bank since the second Palestinian uprising in the early 2000s. Israeli officials have been in contact with the Palestinian Authority and authorities in neighboring Jordan regarding the assault on Jenin.
Israel’s ambassador to Washington justified the operation, describing Jenin as a major hub of terrorism and an Iranian stronghold. He stated that no nation would sit idly by as terrorists strike its citizens.
The operation received broad support in Israel, including from the leader of the opposition. Critics argue that the Palestinian Authority’s absence in the hotbeds of militancy in the northern West Bank suggests a power vacuum and a loss of control.