Around 3,000 Palestinians fled the Jenin refugee camp in the north of the occupied West Bank amid a possible escalation in large-scale military operations by the Israeli army that have left at least eight dead and 50 wounded, most of them large-scale in recent years, it was reported on Monday (03/07/2023). .
The Red Crescent reported that its teams had evacuated about 3,000 people but warned of “difficulty moving across the country because many roads are closed due to the extensive destruction,” said a spokesman for the organization.
Palestinian media reports that the residents of the camp fled their homes after the Israeli army gave them an ultimatum and gave them two hours to leave the camp. That deadline would expire at midnight, when the offensive was expected to intensify.
Images released on social media show Palestinians leaving the camp en masse, some even with their hands up, and Israeli troops entering houses to check that no one remains; However, a military spokesman said no order had been issued and people had left the country voluntarily.
More than 20,000 Palestinians live in the Jenin refugee camp and more than a thousand are militiamen who have formed the Jenin Brigade for 18 months, uniting militias from all factions.
Operation with more than 1,000 soldiers
Israel on Monday launched a military campaign by land and air over Jenin, believed to be a stronghold of Palestinian militias, on a scale not seen since the Second Intifada (2000-2005), involving more than 1,000 soldiers and killing nine people came to life. More than a hundred people were injured, more than 20 of them seriously, according to the Palestinian Authority’s Health Ministry.
An injured man is rushed out by medics after the Israeli military attack on Jenin camp. (07/03/2023)Credit: Raneen Sawafta/Portal
For the first time in two decades, Israel has repeatedly used air force in the occupied West Bank to strike various targets, notably command centers, military installations and the Jenin Brigade’s weapons caches, although it has used these drones to a “minimal and precise” extent. Way. , according to Hagari.
“We are changing the equation on terrorism. That’s what we did two years ago in Operation Wall Watcher against Hamas “Jihad and we’re doing it in Jenin today,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
The US expresses its support for Israel
Meanwhile, the United States said Israel has the right to defend “its people” from Islamist militants, but called for the protection of civilians following the Israeli military operation in the occupied West Bank.
“We support Israel’s security and its right to defend its people against Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other terrorist groups,” a State Department spokesman said. “It is imperative to take every possible precaution to avoid the loss of civilian lives,” he added.
President Joe Biden’s administration has repeatedly called for restraint from both Israel and the Palestinians. As Israel’s main ally, he also called for the resumption of security cooperation between the Jewish state and the Palestinian security forces.
He also criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government for increasing settlements in the occupied territories.
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Israel attacks a militant stronghold in the occupied West Bank
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