Several thousand Palestinians have fled their homes in the Jenin refugee camp in the north of the occupied West Bank after the launch of the most extensive Israeli military operation in the area in two decades. Palestinian officials said Israel launched a wave of air attacks, including on buildings in the camp, and a military ground operation that has caused heavy damage to homes and roads.
An army spokesperson said the aim of the operation, which began on Monday, was to destroy weapons and scout for other militants. Israel had been stepping up raids on the refugee camp and other parts of the West Bank in recent months amid increasing violence that has exposed the limits of President Mahmud Abbas’s authority to impose its writ over the territory he governs with nominal control from Israel.
Black smoke billowed from the streets of Jenin on Tuesday while exchanges of fire echoed through the camp and drones buzzed overhead. Palestinian residents reported that the electricity had been cut in many areas of the camp and that military bulldozers were tearing up roads to clear the way for Israeli troops.
The UN says it is deeply concerned by the violence and calls for respect of international humanitarian law. The US, which supports the Israeli military operation, argues that Israel is right to defend itself against “terrorists.”
According to Palestinian health officials, at least ten people were killed and hundreds more wounded in the raid. The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said it had treated dozens of people for injuries, some in critical condition. It said Israeli forces had destroyed the main hospital in Jenin and blocked roads into the city, which meant that ambulances were struggling to reach the injured.
MSF called on the international community to pressure Israel to stop its assault on Jenin, and “the protection of civilians must be prioritized.” Palestinian officials said they had notified the Red Crescent that an Israeli assault on the camp was imminent, so it had prepared local hospitals for an influx of patients.
Palestinian officials said that Israel had surrounded the Jenin camp with dozens of armored vehicles and had closed off entrances to the city, making it difficult for people to leave. They also warned that Israel could extend its operation into other parts of the city, where several armed militias have been active.
Media reports said that about 18,000 people live in the Jenin camp. About 3,000 have left their homes, the Jenin deputy governor, Kamal Abu al-Roub, told the AFP news agency. He added that arrangements were being made to house them in schools and other shelters in Jenin City. The BBC’s Richard Galpin in Jerusalem says that the scale of the Israeli assault has been a wake-up call for some of the population. He says he has spoken to displaced families living in makeshift tents outside the camp, and are reluctant to return home.
