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Israeli forces continued their deadly assault on Jenin in the occupied West Bank, destroying infrastructure and forcing the displacement of around 2,000 families.
Wednesday's operations included the bulldozing of key streets and come a day after ground and air attacks killed at least 10 people in Jenin province.
Kamal Abu al-Rub, the governor of Jenin, was quoted by AFP as saying the situation in Jenin was “very difficult”.
“The occupation army bulldozed all the roads leading to the (refugee) camp in Jenin and the government hospital in Jenin. … There is shooting and explosions,” he added.
According to al-Rub, Israeli forces also detained about 20 people from villages near Jenin.
Israel's military said in a statement on Wednesday that it had carried out airstrikes against “targets of terrorist infrastructure”, adding that “numerous explosives planted along the routes” had been “dismantled”.
“The Israeli forces are continuing the operation,” he added.
Adel Besher, a resident of Jenin, told Al Jazeera that he had to spend the night in the hospital yard because he was unable to return home during the Israeli operations.
“Although my house is 200 meters (220 yards) from here, I could not reach it. There are many injured, including doctors, nurses and patients,” he said.
“There were also three or four injured near my house and no one was able to save them. Israeli forces fired at anyone who approached them. Two were injured while trying to save them.
The operation in Jenin, where the Israeli army has committed multiple attacks and large-scale incursions in recent years, comes days after a truce took effect in the Gaza Strip and underscores the threat of more violence in the West Bank.
Prior to the Israeli action, Palestinian Authority security forces conducted a week-long operation to regain control of the city of Jenin, as well as its refugee camp.
Yesterday, Israeli security forces launched a large-scale operation in #JeninCamp and a city using modern weapons and methods of warfare, including airstrikes. At least ten Palestinians were killed and more than forty wounded. The operation is expected to last days. (1/3)
— Roland Friedrich (@GRFriedrich) January 22, 2025
Last week, an Israeli airstrike on the refugee camp killed at least three Palestinians and wounded many others.
The West Bank director of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestine refugees, said the Jenin camp was “almost uninhabitable”.
“Around 2,000 families have been displaced since mid-December. UNRWA was unable to provide full service to the camp during this time,” Roland Friedrich told X.
The UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, condemned what she called Israel's “death machine” and its attacks on Jenin.
“Unless forced to stop, Israel's genocide of Palestinians will not be limited to Gaza. Mark my words,” she told X.
Watch: Israeli forces abduct several young men and abuse them near the Al-Awda roundabout in Jenin. pic.twitter.com/t2nmz6MxF3
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) January 22, 2025
Go elsewhere
Israeli forces also stormed the town of Deir Summit, west of Hebron, raiding the homes of prisoners due to be released as part of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
The military also stormed Camp Aida in Bethlehem in the south, launching a large-scale arrest campaign.
Wafa, the Palestinian news agency, reported that Israeli forces increased security for the third day in a row at most entrances and exits of the West Bank governorates.
Videos shared by Palestinians and verified by Al Jazeera showed dozens of vehicles stuck in traffic at the Atara checkpoint near Ramallah due to heightened security.
Israeli attacks on the West Bank have escalated since the start of Israel's war on Gaza on October 7, 2023. Nearly 900 people have been killed there and more than 9,700 arrested, according to local rights groups and health officials.
