The Israeli military said on Tuesday (January 21, 2025) that it had launched an operation in the occupied West Bank’s Jenin that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said aimed to “eradicate terrorism” in the area.
The Palestinian Health Ministry, based in Ramallah, said the operation had killed six people, just days after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect in the Gaza Strip.
In a joint statement, the military and the Shin Bet security agency said that, alongside the Israeli Border Police, they had launched an operation dubbed “Iron Wall’ in Jenin, whose refugee camp is a stronghold of Palestinian militant groups.
In a statement released shortly after the launch of the operation, Mr. Netanyahu said the raid aimed to “eradicate terrorism” in Jenin and was part of a broader strategy to counter Iran “wherever it sends its arms – in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen,” and the West Bank.
The Israeli government has accused Iran, which backs militant groups across the Middle East including Hamas in Gaza, of attempting to send weapons and money to militants in the West Bank.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said its first responders treated seven people injured by live ammunition and that Israeli forces were hindering their access to the area.
Jenin governor Kamal Abu al-Rub said the operation was “an invasion of the (refugee) camp”.
“It came quickly, Apache helicopters in the sky and Israeli military vehicles everywhere”, he added.
An AFP journalist said Palestinian security forces, who had been conducting an operation against Palestinian factions in the area since early December, left some of their positions around the camp before the arrival of Israeli forces.
The spokesman for the Palestinian security forces, Anwar Rajab, said in a statement that Israeli forces had “opened fire on civilians and security forces, resulting in injuries to several civilians and a number of security personnel, one of whom is in critical condition”.
Published – January 21, 2025 06:44 pm IST
