In the northern West Bank, the Jenin refugee camp lay scarred by rubble and smoke as Israeli troops pressed a large-scale operation into a second day, leaving at least ten Palestinians dead and thousands of residents scattered from their homes. It is one more chapter in a cycle of violence that has returned to this place again and again since the early 2000s, fed on both sides by grievance, fear, and the absence of any political path that feels believable. Whether this moment becomes a passing storm or a wider break will depend on the pressures gathering in Jerusalem and the patience of a popu
Israeli Raid on Jenin Camp Enters Second Day as Death Toll Climbs to 10 and Thousands Flee
At least 10 Palestinians died over two days, thousands fled the camp, and about 120 suspected militants were reportedly arrested.
Thousands fled, and those who stayed said there was no water or electricity
Mark
Why is this raid being treated as different from the many others this past year?
Mimi
Scale and tactics. It's described as among the most intense operations in the West Bank in nearly two decades, with bulldozers cutting through alleys, something reminiscent of the early 2000s uprising.
Mark
And the human toll so far?
Mimi
Ten Palestinians dead over two days, and several thousand people fled the camp, according to the Red Crescent. Those who stayed say there's no water or electricity.
Luke
Let's be careful on the dead. The 10 figure comes from the Palestinian Health Ministry. The Israeli military says all were militants but hasn't given details, so that claim is unverified here.
Mark
What about the 120 arrests?
Luke
That's from Israeli media reports, not an official count in this reporting. And the weapons, tunnels and command posts are the army's own account.
Mimi
The stated reason is about 50 attacks over the past year coming from Jenin, per military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari.
Mark
Does politics play a role?
Mimi
The reporting says Netanyahu faces pressure from ultranationalist allies after attacks on settlers, including a shooting last month that killed four people.
Luke
Context, though, not proof of motive. The source doesn't say the raid was decided because of that pressure.
Mark
Who has condemned it?
Mimi
The Palestinian government, Jordan, Egypt, the UAE, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
O Pulso
- Israeli bulldozers tore through the camp's alleys while troops moved house to house, turning a refugee settlement into a zone of fear.
- Thousands fled with few belongings, and the residents who stayed reported no water and no electricity as the camp went dark and dry.
- Israel says roughly 120 suspected militants have been arrested and seized weapons, tunnels, and command posts, but offers little detail to support its claim that the dead were all militants.
- Jordan, Egypt, the UAE, and the Palestinian government have condemned the incursion, and Netanyahu faces hard-line allies demanding a forceful answer, so the question is whether the operation widens.
In the northern West Bank, the Jenin refugee camp lay scarred by rubble and smoke as Israeli troops pressed a large-scale operation into a second day, leaving at least ten Palestinians dead and thousands of residents scattered from their homes. It is one more chapter in a cycle of violence that has returned to this place again and again since the early 2000s, fed on both sides by grievance, fear, and the absence of any political path that feels believable. Whether this moment becomes a passing storm or a wider break will depend on the pressures gathering in Jerusalem and the patience of a population that has learned to wait out these incursions.
On Tuesday morning, rubble covered the streets of the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank, and black smoke rose now and then above the rooftops. Israeli troops were still inside a day after launching a large-scale raid, and military bulldozers had already torn through the camp's alleys. Across the two days, the Palestinian death toll had reached ten, and the Palestinian Health Ministry reported two more deaths overnight.
The Israeli military said all the dead were militants, but it had not offered details to support that claim. Several thousand Palestinians fled the camp for shelters or relatives elsewhere, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. Those who stayed described a camp without water or electricity, and across the West Bank Palestinians observed a general strike in protest.
The army said hundreds of troops were still operating in the camp, seizing weapons and explosives and destroying tunnels and command posts. Israeli media reported at least 120 suspected militants arrested since Monday. The operation was launched, the military said, because some 50 attacks over the past year had come from Jenin, a camp that was also a militant stronghold during the second uprising of the early 2000s.
The Palestinian government, Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation all condemned the incursion. The raid comes as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces pressure from ultranationalist allies to respond strongly to recent attacks on settlers, including a shooting last month that killed four people. More than 140 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank this year. Israel says its raids aim to stop attacks, while Palestinians point to the lack of any political process and to growing settlement building and settler violence. With troops still in the camp, the open question is how long the operation lasts and whether it spreads.
On Tuesday morning, rubble lay across the streets of the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank, and columns of black smoke rose now and then over the skyline. Israeli troops were still inside, a day after launching a large-scale raid, and military bulldozers had already torn through the camp's alleys. By then the Palestinian death toll across the two days had reached 10.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said two more deaths were reported overnight. The Israeli military has claimed that all of the dead were militants, but it has not provided details to back that up. Reports also described damage to shops in the camp.
Several thousand Palestinians fled after the incursion began, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. They sought safety in shelters or with relatives outside the camp. Residents who stayed behind said the camp had no water and no electricity. Across the West Bank, Palestinians observed a general strike in protest of the raid.
The Israeli army said hundreds of troops continued operating in the camp on Tuesday, seizing weapons and explosives and destroying tunnels and command posts. Israeli media reported that at least 120 suspected Palestinian militants had been arrested since Monday. On Monday, military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the operation was launched because some 50 attacks over the past year had emanated from Jenin.
The operation is one of the most intense in the occupied West Bank in nearly two decades. It echoes Israeli military tactics from the second Palestinian uprising of the early 2000s, when the Jenin camp was also a hotbed of militant activity. The camp and the adjacent town of Jenin have been a flashpoint again since violence began escalating in spring 2022. The raid also comes as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces growing pressure from ultranationalist political allies to respond forcefully to recent attacks on Israeli settlers, including a shooting last month that killed four people.
The Palestinian self-rule government in the West Bank condemned the incursion. So did three Arab countries that have normalized ties with Israel, Jordan, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, along with the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
The raid sits within a longer run of bloodshed. More than 140 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank this year, part of a spike in violence lasting more than a year that has produced some of the worst fighting in the area in nearly two decades. Palestinian attacks targeting Israelis have killed at least 26 people. Israel says most of those killed have been militants, though stone-throwing youths protesting the incursions and people not involved in confrontations have also died.
Israel says its raids are meant to crack down on militants and prevent attacks. Palestinians argue that such violence is inevitable without any political process with Israel, and with settlement construction growing and extremist settlers committing violence. Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Mideast war, and the Palestinians seek those territories for a future state. With troops still in the camp and pressure on Netanyahu mounting, the question now is how long the operation lasts and whether it widens.
Citações Notáveis
Israel launched the operation because some 50 attacks over the past year had emanated from Jenin.— Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, Israeli military spokesman
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