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Middle East conflict – Israel continues military offensive in West Bank – News

4 July 2023

Israel’s army continued its military offensive in the occupied West Bank overnight.
At least nine people died in fighting around the Palestinian city of Jenin. The Palestinian Ministry of Health said 100 other people were injured.
According to unconfirmed reports, the Israeli army has ordered Palestinians to leave the Jenin refugee camp.

As part of the Israeli military offensive in the occupied West Bank, air raids and various ground battles also took place on Tuesday night. At least 20 people were critically injured, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported.

Anita Bünter, SRF Middle East correspondent, explains that Israel is striking now, with two factors that have recently been added to the smoldering conflict: “On the one hand, a right-wing, nationalist government has been in power for six months. And the ultra-right ministers rarely miss an opportunity to provoke the Palestinian side, for example by expanding settlements in the West Bank. Much of the international community considers this settlement development to be illegal. On the other hand, several violent groups have formed in the north of the West Bank and are very popular. They draw attention to themselves with attacks and violence: just last week they tried to fire rockets at Israel from the West Bank. This is a new level of escalation. The fronts are hardened on both sides.”

At least one of the dead was reported to be a Palestinian militant. The army entered the Palestinian city of Jenin on Monday night.

She had started her first major offensive in around 20 years. According to their own statements, they confiscated weapons and explosives and arrested several suspects.

People leave their homes in the refugee camp

Palestinian media reported on Monday evening that the Israeli army had ordered Palestinians to leave the Jenin refugee camp. Footage online showed many people pouring out of their homes. According to Israeli media reports, however, Israeli security officials denied that there had been such an evacuation order. Accordingly, thousands of people fled the fighting.

In recent months, Jenin has become a haven for terrorism.

The densely populated city of Jenin and the associated refugee camp with around 17,000 residents are considered a stronghold of militant Palestinians. The various groups are financed primarily by Iran, an archenemy of the State of Israel.

“Poverty and dissatisfaction are high in Jenin, especially in the refugee camp,” says SRF Middle East correspondent Jonas Bischoff. “There live descendants of the people who were driven out around the founding of the state of Israel 75 years ago. They live under difficult conditions and often have hardly any prospects. This is a breeding ground for radicalization and extremism. In fact, several recent attackers in Israel were from Jenin or are associated with the city. The radicalization is obvious on site in Jenin: Portraits of killed young men who are celebrated as martyrs hang everywhere. »

“In recent months, Jenin has become a haven for terrorism, from which insidious attacks have been launched on Israeli men, women and children,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an appearance on Monday evening. Israeli soldiers would do anything to avoid civilian deaths. The military offensive will last as long as necessary “to complete the mission,” Netanyahu was quoted as saying by the Israeli media.

After a meeting of its leadership on Monday evening, the Palestinian Authority reiterated that it would no longer cooperate with Israel on security issues. The autonomy authority had made similar announcements on previous occasions – but they were not actually implemented.

Both sides exchange intelligence to prevent terrorist attacks and to coordinate major operations in zones controlled solely by the Palestinian Authority. It is also intended to prevent militant groups from gaining the upper hand in this area.

The security situation in Israel and in the Palestinian territories has been tense for a long time, but violence has recently increased again. Since the beginning of the year, more than two dozen people have died in attacks by Palestinians. During the same period, more than 140 Palestinians were killed in violent clashes, Israeli military operations, or after their own attacks.