Israeli army clears entire neighborhoods in Jenin refugee camp, according to local residents
Hundreds of Palestinians were forcibly displaced by the Israeli army from the Jenin refugee camp amid a military operation in the northern West Bank city, according to residents on Thursday.“The Israeli army began clearing entire neighborhoods in the camp after their attack,” a Palestinian woman, who declined to be named, told Anadolu.She said Israeli forces have destroyed homes, streets and essential infrastructure in the camp during its deadly onslaught.“The situation in the camp is extremely difficult amid the violent assault,” she said, adding that water, electricity, and communication networks have been severed.Forced to leave with her disabled elderly mother, she recounted, “I couldn't manage on my own; other residents helped us evacuate.”“What crime has a 90-year-old woman committed to deserve this displacement?”The forced evacuations are concentrated in the southern and western areas of the camp, particularly in the Damaj and Hawashin neighborhoods. Most displaced residents are seeking refuge with relatives in the western parts of Jenin.The Israeli army launched a military operation in the Jenin camp on Tuesday, killing at least 12 Palestinians and injuring 40 others, according to local health authorities.The Israeli army said that the operation in Jenin, code-named "Iron Wall," is expected to last several days.
- Displaced people under fireMahamoud Ramadan shared his harrowing experience of being forcibly displaced from his area with his family.“We fled under heavy gunfire from the Israeli military, which used loudspeakers to force us out,” he said.“We requested an ambulance for my sick mother, but the army's blockade made it impossible,” he said. “Even as we attempted to use an undamaged street, we were shot at by soldiers.”Jumaa al-Masri, an elderly resident visibly exhausted from walking westward, shared a similar ordeal.“The soldiers ordered us to evacuate the camp. I saw elderly people, women, and children fleeing in extremely difficult conditions,” he said, calling the situation inside the camp catastrophic.“The sounds of explosions and gunfire haven't stopped.”On Wednesday, Jenin Mayor Mohammed Jarrar accused the Israeli army of forcibly evacuating entire neighborhoods in the camp.“There is a real fear of large-scale destruction in the camp,” he told Anadolu, expressing concern over potential war crimes.
-Mass arrestsAccording to local sources, the Israeli army has conducted a massive detention campaign, holding residents at field interrogation centers.The Israeli offensive came two days after a ceasefire agreement that halted Israel's genocidal war on the Gaza Strip on Jan. 19.The ongoing assault on Jenin, according to Israeli media, is part of a political maneuver by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to appease far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who opposed the recent Gaza ceasefire. Reports suggest that Netanyahu promised the attack to prevent Smotrich from resigning, which could collapse the government.Nearly 47,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were killed and more than 110,700 injured in Israel's genocidal war on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, according to local health authorities.The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November last year for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.Simultaneously, attacks by the Israeli army and illegal settler in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, have escalated, leaving over 870 Palestinians dead and nearly 6,700 others injured.
