Israel presses on with hunt for West Bank militants. The death toll rises to 10 and civilians flee

The Israeli military continues its relentless pursuit of Palestinian militants in a refugee camp in the West Bank. The offensive, which began on Monday, has led to an increase in the death toll, now standing at ten. As the situation intensifies, civilians are compelled to flee their homes seeking safety.

The hunt is being carried out in the Jenin refugee camp, marking one of the fiercest military campaigns in the occupied West Bank region for almost twenty years. It echoes the Israeli military strategy from the second Palestinian uprising of the early 2000s. The current situation has been exacerbated by increasing demands on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from his ultranationalist political allies. They demand a rigorous response to the recent attacks on Israeli settlers, including last month’s fatal shooting that left four dead.

The aftermath of the raid was evident on Tuesday as the streets of Jenin were strewn with rubble and reports of damage to local shops came to light. The skyline over the refugee camp in the northern West Bank city, recognized as a stronghold for Palestinian militants, was intermittently broken by columns of black smoke.

According to the Mayor of Jenin, Nidal Al-Obeidi, approximately 4,000 Palestinians have evacuated the camp, finding refuge with family members or in shelters. The camp currently lacks water and electricity.

In response to the Israeli raid, a general strike has been observed across the West Bank. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Health Ministry announced that the death toll rose to ten, with two fatalities reported overnight. The Israeli military asserts all casualties were militants but have not offered any detailed information.

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, an Israeli military spokesperson, clarified that the operation was initiated in response to around 50 attacks that have originated from Jenin in the past year. The city and its neighboring town have been focal points of Israeli-Palestinian conflict since violence escalated in spring 2022. It was also a hub of Palestinian military activities during the second Palestinian uprising in the early 2000s.

On Tuesday, hundreds of Israeli soldiers were active in the camp, confiscating weapons and explosives, dismantling tunnels and command posts, according to the army. Reports from Israeli media state that since Monday, at least 120 suspected Palestinian militants have been detained.

The Israeli operation has been condemned by the West Bank Palestinian self-governing body as well as three Arab nations with normalized relations with Israel – Jordan, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates. Criticism has also been voiced by the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

The ongoing spike in violence, beginning more than a year ago, has resulted in the death of over 140 Palestinians in the West Bank this year alone. This period has been marked by some of the worst bloodshed in nearly two decades. Attacks aimed at Israelis have taken the lives of at least 26 people.

Israel’s defense is that these raids are targeted at Palestinian militants in an effort to prevent further attacks. Palestinians counter that such violence is the unavoidable consequence of the absence of any political dialogue with Israel and the increasing West Bank settlement construction and aggression by extremist settlers.

Israel maintains that the majority of the deceased have been militants, but admits that deaths have also included young protesters throwing stones and innocent bystanders.

The West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip were seized by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war. These are the territories Palestinians hope to reclaim for an independent state.

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More about Israeli military operation in West Bank

• Israeli-Palestinian conflict
• History of the West Bank
• Jenin Refugee Camp
• Palestinian Uprising in the early 2000s
• Israel’s 1967 Mideast War