Israeli forces launch large-scale operation in West Bank’s Jenin
Jerusalem, July 3 (EFE).- Israeli security forces launched a large-scale operation in occupied West Bank’s Jenin overnight Sunday, killing at least Palestinians and wounding another 25, the Palestinian health ministry said.
“As part of an effort to widely thwart the removal of the threat of terrorism in Judea and Samaria (West Bank), the security forces attacked a headquarters that is the unified headquarters of the factions in the refugee camp in Jenin and the operatives of the ‘Jenin Battalion,’” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Monday.
“The headquarters was also used as an observation post, as a gathering place for armed terrorists before and after a terrorist activity, as an arming area with weapons and explosives, and as a contact and communication center for the activists,” IDF added.
“In addition, the headquarters served as a shelter for wanted activists due to the attacks in recent months in the sector,” it said.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Twitter that “the security forces have been working in recent hours with a concentrated effort against the centers of terrorism in Jenin.”
“We will take an offensive and proactive approach – anyone who harms the citizens of Israel will pay a heavy price,” he added.
The operation comes after weeks of speculation over whether Israel would launch a large-scale military operation in the West Bank in the face of rising violence.
The Israeli troops have focused most of their military raids in Jenin, a stronghold of militants in occupied West Bank, over the past year-and-a-half.
In another raid two weeks ago – which lasted 9 hours and left 7 Palestinians dead – the IDF used combat helicopters for the first time since the Second Intifada, a major Palestinian uprising against Israel between 2000 and 2005.
Three days later, it launched the first drone air attack on the territory since 2006 targeting three Jenin Brigade militants in a car.
The West Bank is currently experiencing its deadliest violence in two decades, with 142 Palestinians, including 23 minors, killed so far this year.
The region has witnessed the emergence of new Palestinian armed groups, leading to an increase in attacks against Israelis, as well as acts of aggression by settlers.
On the Israeli side, 25 people, mostly settlers, including five minors, have lost their lives in Palestinian attacks. EFE
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