Raneen Sawafta/Reuters
Tires are burned on a road during an Israeli military operation, in Jenin, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on July 3.
CNN
—
Israeli forces launched a major military operation in Jenin in the northern West Bank on Sunday night, killing at least three people and injuring 25 others, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
In a statement posted on Telegram in the early hours of Monday morning, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said it launched a “broad counter-terrorism effort in the area of the city of Jenin and in Jenin Camp,” which hit the “terrorist infrastructure.”
Jenin residents told CNN they heard explosions and heavy gunfire in the area, while video from the scene showed wounded Palestinians being evacuated by ambulance to the Jenin Government Hospital.
Of the injured, seven are critical, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Mahmoud al-Saadi, director of the Palestinian Red Crescent in Jenin, said most of the injuries were “serious and in the upper body,” adding that the process of transferring the injured was difficult.
Footage shared by journalists appeared to show operations underway in parts of the Jenin refugee camp and Israeli military vehicles on the streets of Jenin on Monday morning. CNN was unable to independently verify the videos.
The IDF said it struck a joint operational command center for the Jenin Camp and operatives of the Jenin Brigade, a Palestinian militant group affiliated with Islamic Jihad.
“The operational command center also serves as an advanced observation and reconnaissance center, a place where armed terrorists gather before and after terrorist activities,” the IDF said, adding that the camp is a “site for weapons and explosives” and “hub for coordination and communication among terrorists.”
“Furthermore, the command center provides shelter for wanted individuals involved in carrying out terrorist attacks in recent months in the area,” it said.
The IDF later said it had seized explosive devices during the operations, which were carried out in coordination with the Israel Securities Authority (ISA).
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a statement that the IDF was “acting against terrorism hotspots” in Jenin and that “anyone who harms Israeli citizens, will pay a heavy price .”
“We are closely monitoring the actions of our enemies and Israel’s defense establishment is prepared for every scenario,” the minister said.
The Jenin Brigade claimed it had severely damaged at least one Israeli military vehicle with improvised explosive devices and its militants continued to fight Israeli forces “to stop its advance within camp.”
Palestinian Islamic Jihad said it will confront its enemy “with all possible options of retaliation,” in response to Israel’s operations in Jenin.
“Jenin’s aggression will not achieve its targets, Jenin will not surrender. We will confront the enemy with all possible options to retaliate in response to the enemy’s aggression on Jenin,” the militant group posted on its official Telegram channel.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemned Israel’s massive military operation, calling it “a new war crime.”
“Security and stability cannot be achieved in the region unless we Palestinians feel it. What the Israeli government has done in occupying the city of Jenin and its camp is a new war crime against our protecting people,” he said, according to presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh.
The raid came less than two weeks after an Israeli military raid in Jenin erupted into a massive clash, leaving at least five Palestinians dead and dozens injured. Eight Israeli troops were wounded and successfully evacuated, according to the IDF.
In a separate incident, a 21-year-old man, identified as Muhammed Hassanein, was shot and killed by Israeli forces at the northern entrance of Al-Bireh near Ramallah in the West Bank, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health on monday The IDF has not yet commented on the incident.
