Israeli forces ravage infrastructure in Jenin as deadly operation enters second day
Israeli troops invading Jenin and its refugee camp killed 10 Palestinians, injured over 40, and displaced hundreds
Israel’s deadly operation in the occupied West Bank’s Jenin has entered its second day, as troops continue to tear up infrastructure and reinforce their presence across the city and its battered refugee camp.
Videos shared on social media on 22 January showed roads destroyed by the Israeli army’s bulldozers.
Israeli forces destroyed the road around Jenin Government Hospital and bulldozed the entrance to the medical facility, blocking it with mounds of dirt. Destruction was also carried out in the vicinity of Ibn Sina Hospital.
Director of Jenin Government Hospital Wissam Bakr told WAFA news agency that the ability to transport wounded Palestinians to hospitals has been affected.
The army has closed off the entrances to the Jenin refugee camp.
“The occupation forces are sending more military reinforcements to the city of Jenin and the entrances to its camp,” WAFA reported.
The Jenin Brigade of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement’s Quds Brigades said on Wednesday that its fighters were confronting Israeli forces with machine guns and explosive devices.
Israel launched a large-scale military operation in Jenin on 21 January, coinciding with airstrikes on the city.
The Israeli army announced on Wednesday that it hit several “terrorist” targets in Jenin over the past 24 hours and destroyed explosives planted on roads. The operation is expected to last several days.
Ten Palestinians have been killed and at least 40 others injured since the operation – dubbed “Iron Wall” – began. The Israeli army killed a man in front of his wife and three kids on Tuesday night.
Ahmad Shayeb was driving home with his family with him when Israeli snipers opened fire at the car. Video footage showed the final moments before he was killed.
Bashir Matahen, the director of Public Relations and Media at the Jenin Municipality, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that over 600 Palestinians have been displaced from the camp as a result of the Israeli invasion.
Israel signaled this week that it is preparing for “major” operations across the occupied West Bank.
Before “Iron Wall” was launched, the Palestinian Authority (PA) had been besieging the Jenin camp for six weeks in an Israeli-backed operation that Ramallah said was aimed at rooting out the Jenin Brigade and establishing control over the camp.
Haaretz newspaper reported on Monday, citing a Palestinian source, that Israel asked the PA security services to withdraw from Jenin before the Israeli army entered.
At least 868 Palestinians have been killed by Israel in the West Bank since 7 October 2023.