The Israeli Army has confirmed on Wednesday the end of the military operation launched on Monday in the West Bank city of Jenin, the largest in the West Bank since the end of the Second Intifada nearly two decades ago, which has resulted in twelve Palestinians dead and more than a hundred wounded, in addition to a soldier killed in action.
“The forces that operated in the Jenin (refugee) camp have left and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have returned to routine activities in Judea and Samaria — the Biblical name for the West Bank –,” military sources said. to Europa Press, hours after the Army began its withdrawal in the area.
The operation, which has not received an official name from the Army -although Israeli media have indicated that military sources refer to it as ‘House and Garden’-, was launched at dawn on Monday and included the execution of shelling of targets in the Jenin refugee camp.
The Israeli Army has indicated the main objective was that the place “is not a safe place” for “terrorists” given the upsurge in violence in recent months. Thus, he has maintained that so far this year 50 armed attacks have been perpetrated that have originated in Jenin, described by Israel as “a terrorist stronghold.”
Likewise, the spokesman for the Israeli Army Nir Dinar defended on Tuesday in statements to Europa Press that the operation was “very precise” and stated that “the level of fighting was lower than expected”, while rejecting the accusations about a “excessive” use of force.
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, affirmed on Tuesday after traveling to the surroundings of the West Bank city that it was necessary to “complete the mission” in the area with the objective of “eradicating terrorism” from the Palestinian armed groups.
Increased tensions in recent months have resulted in the deaths of more than 185 Palestinians and 25 Israelis, amid fears of a widespread outbreak of violence. Tensions have spiked especially since June 19, when an Israeli army raid in Jenin left seven Palestinians dead — including two minors — and more than 90 wounded. Just a day later, four Israelis were killed in an attack near the Eli settlement.
In this context, hundreds of settlers carried out attacks against West Bank towns, events that resulted in the death of a Palestinian, while the Israeli Army killed three Palestinians –members of Islamic Jihad and the armed wing of Al Fatah– in a drone strike near Jenin.