Israel bombards the West Bank in a large-scale operation
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The attack by the Israeli army took place at dawn in the city of Jenin, where at least three dead and 25 Palestinians injured are reported.
Israeli security forces bombed Jenin early Monday morning, in the north of the occupied West Bank and the focus of the Palestinian militant movement, in a large-scale military operation that has left at least three Palestinians dead.
“As part of an extensive counter-terrorism effort in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), security forces attacked an operations center, which served as the joint operational command center for the Jenin Brigade in the refugee camp of Jenin”, reported the Israeli Army.
The operation in Jenin has so far left three Palestinians dead and 25 wounded, the Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed.
🚨 #Palestine 🇵🇸 🚨|
New Israeli aggression against 💥 #Jenin leaves several Palestinians dead.
🌠https://t.co/cgutJXQccW pic.twitter.com/zPnEML6yXV— Data Urgente (@dataurgente) July 3, 2023
The Israeli offensive by air and by land prioritized that command center of the Jenin Brigade -which brings together all the militias of all the factions to fight the Israeli troops together-, which was also used as “ advanced observation and reconnaissance center, a place where terrorists met before and after terrorist activities, a site for weapons and explosives, and as a coordination and communication center” explained a military spokesman.
“In addition, the command center provided shelter to wanted persons involved in carrying out terrorist attacks in recent months in the area,“ he added about the operation in Jenin,
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant congratulated the security forces for the operation and assured that they are “preparing for each scenario” while closely watching the actions of enemies.
The West Bank is experiencing its highest peak of violence
“In the face of terrorism, we will take a proactive and decisive approach. "Anyone who harms the citizens of Israel will pay a heavy price," Gallant said of the operation that comes after weeks of speculation about whether or not Israel would launch a full-scale military campaign in the West Bank amid escalating violence.
In an incursion two weeks ago in Jenin - which lasted 9 hours and left 7 Palestinians dead - the Army used combat helicopters for the first time since the Second Intifada; and three days later he launched the first drone air strike on that territory since 2006, precisely for the “selective assassination” of three militiamen from the Jenin Brigade who were in a car.
Between the two episodes, two Hamas members carried out an attack on the Eli settlement in the northern occupied West Bank, killing four settlers, following days of settler attacks on Palestinian villages that left extensive damage and a dead; further raising the tension in the area and the voices in favor of a large-scale military operation, especially on the extreme right.
The West Bank is experiencing its highest peak of violence since the Second Intifada (2000-2005) and in So far this year, 142 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, most of them militants in armed clashes with Israeli troops, but also civilians, including 23 minors.
In parallel, the area has seen the proliferation of new Palestinian armed groups, which carry out more and more attacks and have left 25 dead on the Israeli side, most of them settlers and five of them minors.