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Hundreds of Palestinians left the Jenin camp in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, an official said. This on the third day of a major operation by the Israeli army against armed groups which left at least 12 dead.
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January 23, 2025 – 2:15 p.m.
(Keystone-ATS) Bulldozers, aircraft and armored military vehicles are used by soldiers in this operation called “Iron Wall”, launched two days after the start of a truce in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.
The operation aims to “eradicate terrorism in Jenin,” said Benjamin Netanyahu, regarding the city and the Jenin refugee camp located in the north of the West Bank, Palestinian territory occupied since 1967 by Israel in violation of international law. . The Israeli Prime Minister is himself under arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Order to evacuate
“Hundreds of camp residents began leaving after the Israeli army, via loudspeakers attached to drones and military vehicles, ordered them to evacuate,” said Jenin Governor Kamal Abou al -Rub.
Salim Al-Saadi, a member of the camp management committee, who lives in the immediate vicinity of the camp, confirmed the order. “They asked camp residents to leave before 5 p.m. local time and there were dozens of people who started to leave. »
But the Israeli army, questioned by AFP, denied such an order. “We are not informed of any evacuation orders for Jenin residents. »
As of Wednesday, Palestinians began fleeing the Jenin region on foot, according to AFP images. A group of men, women and children were seen walking on a muddy road, some carrying bags, as the sound of drones above them was clearly audible.
At least 12 dead
On Thursday, the Israeli army claimed to have killed before dawn on the outskirts of Jenin two Islamic Jihad fighters accused of killing three Israelis in an attack in January. “They were barricaded in a house in the village of Burqin and “after an exchange of fire, they were eliminated,” she said.
A final report from the Palestinian Authority Health Ministry on Tuesday evening reported ten deaths in the operation in Jenin, regularly the target of operations by the occupying army against armed groups including Hamas and the Islamic Jihad.
The Israeli army said on Wednesday that it had “hit more than ten terrorists”, speaking of “air strikes on terrorist infrastructure” and the “dismantling of numerous explosives installed on the roads”.
-The same day, the governor of Jenin announced numerous arrests, and said that “the occupying army bulldozed all the roads leading to the camp.” The army says it uses these devices to protect itself from explosive devices.
“Unwavering support” from the USA
The West Bank is separated from the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory occupied by Israel from 1967 to 2005, by Israeli territory.
The new operation in Jenin came the day after the inauguration of Donald Trump, whose head of diplomacy Marco Rubio promised “unwavering support” for Israel on Wednesday during a telephone call with Netanyahu.
Mr. Rubio also congratulated the Israeli “for the successes achieved against Hamas and Hezbollah (Lebanese) and pledged to work tirelessly to help free all the hostages still held in Gaza.”
Next exchange Saturday
After 15 months of war triggered by a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the first phase of a ceasefire agreement entered into force on January 19 in Gaza.
Three Israeli hostages among the dozens still held in Gaza after their kidnapping during this attack, were released in exchange for 90 Palestinian prisoners after the truce. A next exchange is planned for Saturday.
The Hamas Ministry of Health announced Thursday in this context a new toll of at least 47,283 dead in the enclave as bodies were discovered under the rubble.
Since the truce came into force, Palestinians have also died from their injuries. And a total of 111,472 injured have been recorded in the Palestinian territory since the start of the war.
Sanctions against settlers lifted
In one of his first decisions, Donald Trump ended sanctions imposed by his predecessor Joe Biden on extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank because of their attacks against Palestinians.
In 2020, during his first term, the septuagenarian proposed a “deal of the century” for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict which provided for the annexation by Israel of parts of the West Bank, but never came to fruition.
At least 850 Palestinians killed
France and the UN have called on Israel to exercise restraint in the West Bank. Violence in the West Bank exploded in this territory during the war in Gaza, the latest episode of the very long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Since October 2023, at least 850 Palestinians have been killed there by the Israeli army or by settlers, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
At the same time, at least 29 Israelis, including soldiers, died there in Palestinian attacks or military operations according to Israel.
