Israeli army withdraws from West Bank city of Jenin after 2-day operation

RAMALLAH, Palestine

The Israeli military withdrew from the West Bank city of Jenin and its refugee camp late Wednesday following a two-day operation that left at least eight Palestinians dead and 19 injured and caused extensive damage to homes and infrastructure, according to local officials.

“The Israeli army has withdrawn from the entire city of Jenin and its camp,” Bashir Matahen, the director of public relations and media for Jenin municipality, told Anadolu.

He said dozens of homes were burned or destroyed and that four kilometers (2.48 miles) of roads and water and sewage infrastructure were demolished during the operation.

Matahen also noted that electricity, water and sewage networks in the camp had been destroyed, leaving it without power since the incursion began.

Kamel Abu al-Rub, the governor of Jenin, confirmed the deaths of two young men in the town of Kafr Dan to the west of Jenin city, whose bodies are being held by Israeli forces.

According to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, this raises the death toll in Jenin to eight, with 19 others injured during the 48-hour operation targeting Jenin city, its camp and nearby towns.

Palestinian state television said an Israeli aircraft also targeted a vehicle in Wadi Hassan, between Kafr Dan and Al-Yamoun.

WAFA reported that an Israeli drone carried out the strike while Apache helicopters flew over the area during the operation.

Jenin's municipality highlighted the long-term impact on residents, including mass arrests, with dozens detained and released in stages.

Tension has been running high in the West Bank due to Israel’s brutal war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 44,000 people, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas in October last year.

More than 790 Palestinians have since been killed and over 6,400 others injured by the Israeli army in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.

In July, the International Court of Justice issued a landmark advisory opinion that declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land “illegal” and demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.