It was one of the largest Israeli military interventions in the West Bank since the end two decades ago of an armed Palestinian uprising against the indefinite Israeli occupation.
Some of the scenes recorded in Jenin, such as the huge army bulldozers charging through the alleys of the countryside, were very similar to those of a major Israeli raid in 2002, known as the Battle of Jenin, which lasted eight days.
The two operations, separated by two decades, aimed to eradicate armed groups in the countryside and deter and prevent attacks against Israelis originating there. In both cases, the army claimed to have been successful.
However, the continuing cycle of military raids and Palestinian attacks raised new questions about the Israeli strategy. This week’s raid had broad support across the Israeli political spectrum, although some critics in the country said it would have little impact because the fallen militants would soon be replaced by others.
“As usual, these things are best seen in context. For the security commanders this is a successful operation for now, but it has no real chance of bringing about a fundamental change in the situation in the West Bank,” wrote Amos Harel, an expert on military issues for the Haaretz daily.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose autonomy government runs parts of the West Bank, has rejected violence against Israelis but has effectively lost control of several militant strongholds. Home videos shared on social media appeared to show angry Jenin residents throwing rocks at the Palestinian Authority police station after the Israeli army withdrew.
Thousands of people turned out for mass funerals for the Palestinians killed in the raid. At one point, those in attendance booed representatives of the Palestinian Authority led by Abbas, chanted their support for a local armed group and expelled them from the cemetery.
Many Palestinians see the actions of gunmen as an inevitable result of 56 years of occupation and the lack of a political process with Israel. They also point to an increase in settlement construction in the West Bank and violence by extremist settlers.
Since early 2022, Israel has carried out almost nightly incursions into the West Bank in response to a series of deadly Palestinian attacks. Israel claims the operations are intended to go after Palestinian militants and are necessary because the Palestinian Authority is too weak.
During the Israeli raid, 12 Palestinians were killed and more than 140 injured, 83 of whom required hospital care, according to Palestinian health authorities. Israeli forces killed another Palestinian man in an unrelated incident near the West Bank city of Ramallah. Most of the dead were shot in the head and chest and 20 of the wounded suffered serious injuries, said Dr. Wissam Bakr, director of the Jenin Hospital.
The Israeli army says it only killed militants, though it has given no details.
In its summary of the operation, the army said it had confiscated thousands of weapons, bomb-making materials and hidden money. The weapons were found in militant hideouts and civilian areas alike, in one case under a mosque, they said.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the army had dealt a heavy blow to the militants, saying that those who try to harm Israelis “will come up against an iron wall and the force of the army and the security forces, and They will take responsibility for their actions.”
Troops withdrew hours after a Hamas militant drove his car into a crowded Tel Aviv bus stop and began stabbing people. Eight people were injured, including a pregnant woman who reportedly lost her baby. An armed witness killed the assailant. Hamas said the attack was revenge for the Israeli offensive.
On Wednesday morning, militants from Hamas-ruled Gaza fired five rockets at Israel. The shells were intercepted, according to Israel, which responded with airstrikes against various targets in Gaza.
The massive raid followed more than a year of violence that has challenged Netanyahu’s far-right government, dominated by ultra-nationalists who have called for a tougher hand against Palestinian militants, only to see the fighting worsen.
Some 140 Palestinians have been killed so far this year in the West Bank, and Palestinian attacks on Israelis have claimed at least 25 lives, including four settlers in a gunfight last month.
The prolonged incursion prompted warnings from humanitarian groups that the situation was deteriorating.
Doctors Without Borders accused the army of firing tear gas at a hospital, filling the emergency room with smoke and forcing emergency patients to be treated in a lobby.
The United Nations human rights chief said the scale of the operation “raises a number of serious questions regarding international human rights norms and standards, including the protection of and respect for the right to life.”
Kefah Ja’ayyasah, who lives in the countryside, said soldiers broke into his home and locked the family inside.
“They took the young men of the family upstairs and left the women and children trapped in the apartment on the first floor,” he said in remarks before the army withdrew.
The woman said soldiers did not allow her to bring food to the children and blocked an ambulance team when she called for help, before finally allowing the family to go to a hospital.
Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Six-Day War. The Palestinians claim these territories to form an independent state.
“In the end, the refugee camp emerged victorious,” said resident Dabbayah, describing it as “a great victory for the people of Jenin.”
FUENTE: Associated Press
