TEL AVIV, July 3. /TASS/. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are conducting a large-scale counterterrorism operation in the city of Jenin and a nearby Palestinian refugee camp in the West Bank, Israeli’s Kan radio reported on Monday.
The army press service, in turn, said that the IDF and the General Security Service were conducting a targeted counterterrorism operation in the Jenin area. The military confirmed that security forces had carried out a strike on the joint operations center of radical forces in the Jenin camp, which served as a surveillance and reconnaissance center, a gathering place for armed terrorists, an arms and explosives depot, and a terrorist communication center.
According to the Al Arabiya TV channel, over 200 pieces of armored equipment, including armored personnel carriers and tanks, entered the city of Jenin and the refugee camp on Monday morning as part of the Israeli military operation.
The Kan radio station said that the goal of the operation was "to restore Israel’s containment" of radicals active in the northern West Bank.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry has blamed the Israeli authorities for the consequences of the military operation in Jenin. It emphasized that the act of aggression in Jenin was "in line with Israel’s official policy of using force against defenseless people instead of resolving the conflict through political means." The Palestinian Foreign Ministry also called on the international community to take measures to immediately stop the escalation of tensions in Jenin.
Palestine’s WAFA news agency reported earlier that the Israel air force had carried out rocket strikes on the Palestinian refugee camp in Jenin and the nearby area. Shortly thereafter, Israeli forces entered Jenin and surrounded the camp, cutting off power supplies and blocking roads. According to the latest information, five Palestinians have been killed and at least 30 suffered wounds in the Israeli forces’ special operation.
Since April 10, 2022, the Israeli military has been conducting operations and counterterrorism raids in the West Bank following a series of terrorist attacks in Israeli cities.