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Middle East – Israel strikes targets in West Bank – several dead – news

3 July 2023

At least eight Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli military operation in the West Bank city of Jenin.
Around 50 others were injured, ten of them in critical condition, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
It was initially unclear whether the dead were militant Islamist fighters or uninvolved residents.

Operation “Home and Garden”, which according to Israeli information was aimed at “terrorist infrastructure”, was still ongoing on Monday afternoon. The region around Jenin and the associated refugee camp with around 17,000 inhabitants has been a stronghold of militant Palestinians for years.

Israeli army: end of operation open

The army said several targeted airstrikes during the night hit a weapons depot, a meeting place for terrorists and a command and communications center that is also used as an observation post.

Videos showed several destroyed roads. The “Freedom Theater” in the city center was also hit, as the cultural institution confirmed. Israel’s army moved into the city shortly after the airstrikes with ground troops and around 100 military vehicles. According to Palestinian reports, violent fighting with residents then broke out.

The spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, condemned the Israeli operation and spoke of a “new war crime”. He called on the international community to “break its shameful silence and take serious action”.

Legend:

Militant Palestinians engage in firefight with Israeli security forces (07/03/23)

EPA/ALAA BADARNEH

Israeli army spokesman Richard Hecht said the operation would last “as long as necessary”. Accordingly, the army is concentrating on the refugee camp in Jenin. At least seven terrorists were neutralized there during the night. It was unclear whether they were killed. According to Hecht, dozens of attacks on Israelis have been carried out by camp residents since last year.

Over 150 dead since the beginning of the year

In addition to Hamas, which rules in the Gaza Strip, the militant Islamic Jihad and other loose groups in Jenin have also gained massive influence in recent years. They are mostly financed by Iran.

Hamas called for the mobilization of the Palestinians in the West Bank in the morning and pledged support for their fighters in Jenin. A spokesman for the militant Palestinian organization Islamic Jihad said: “As long as this aggression does not stop, the options for response will be wide and comprehensive.”

A column of white smoke rises between the roofs of Jenin

Israeli Defense Minister Joav Galant said the army would continue to be “proactive and decisive” in Jenin. Israel’s defense apparatus is prepared for any scenario.

The security situation in Israel and the Palestinian territories has been tense for a long time and recently worsened again. The government, among others, has recently called for a large-scale military offensive.

Since the founding of Israel 75 years ago, the land that Jews call Judea and Samaria has been disputed. Around three million people live in this area, which is about the size of the canton of Bern. The Palestinian majority of the population claims the country as part of their own state and lives under limited self-government.

The Jewish minority has grown to around half a million in recent years: Israel is driving the construction of settlements – which most of the international community considers illegal. This leads to increasing tension and violence.

In the parts of the West Bank that are under Israeli control, Palestinian security forces are not allowed to carry out any operations, not even to protect their own population.

After two Palestinians killed four Israelis in the West Bank almost two weeks ago, angry Israeli settlers repeatedly used violence against Palestinians there. In addition, for the first time in decades, the military carried out a targeted air strike against Palestinians in the West Bank.

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 shot dead in confrontations, Israeli military operations or after their own attacks.