Israeli forces announce end of Jenin operation, withdraw troops
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Israeli army announced on Wednesday the end of a two-day operation in the Jenin area of the occupied West Bank and the withdrawal of its troops.
On June 3, around 1,000 Israeli troops, supported by drone strikes, launched a major military operation in the occupied West Bank, targeting a militant “command center” in Jenin. The operation killed at least 12 Palestinians, one Israeli troop, injured more dozens, and led thousands to flee their homes.
The Jenin operation marked the most extensive Israeli military operation in the West Bank in two decades. The operation is centered on the densely populated Jenin camp, which hosts Palestinians.
Ahead of the withdrawal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to carry out similar operations if needed.
“At these moments we are completing the mission, and I can say that our extensive operation in Jenin is not a one-off,” he said during a visit to a military post on the outskirts of Jenin. “We will eradicate terrorism wherever we see it and we will strike at it.”
According to Palestinian security sources, the operation hit a military site of Hamas group in northern Gaza. The Israeli army said its forces had dismantled six explosives manufacturing facilities and three operational situation rooms in Jenin, and confiscated large quantities of weapons.
The Israel-Palestinian conflict has worsened since early last year, and escalated further under the Netanyahu government, which includes extreme-right allies.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since the Six-Day War of 1967.
The Palestinians, who seek their own independent state, want Israel to withdraw from all land it seized in 1967 and to dismantle all Jewish settlements.