Israeli military forces have withdrawn from the West Bank city of Jenin after a today operation.
Israeli leaders are calling it an antiterrorism raid, while Palestinian officials are calling it an “invasion”. On Monday morning, gun battles and explosions from Israeli aerial and ground forces could be heard at a checkpoint on the outskirts of the city. An Israeli airstrike near a mosque inside the camp eliminated what the Israeli defense forces identified as a “threat.”
The operation led to protests overnight across the West Bank, including at a checkpoint near Ramallah. This brings the death toll of Palestinians killed this year to 133. Power was cut off in some parts of Jenin and bulldozers ploughed through narrow streets.
Representatives from both the Palestinian Authority and Jordan condemned the violence. The incursion was intended to target members of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah militant groups, who had been blamed for several attacks against Israeli citizens over the past eighteen months. According to Palestinian officials, at least 12 people, from ages 16 to 23, were killed and scores more injured after Israeli forces launched largescale operations in the Jenin camp this week.
