Jerusalem, 4 Jul (Xinhua) -- The Israel Defense Forces launched a large-scale air and ground military operation in the Jenin area of the northern West Bank in the early morning of 3 July. The Palestinian Health Ministry said that by night, eight Palestinians had been killed and more than 80 injured.
In recent years, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the Israeli army's large-scale attacks on the Palestinian side have mostly been concentrated in the Gaza Strip, and air strikes in the West Bank are rare. Many media believe that this is the "largest" military operation launched by the Israeli army in this area in the past 20 years.
On 3 July, smoke rose after an Israeli air strike in the Jenin area of the northern West Bank. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Ayman Norbani)
According to Palestinian media reports, on the same day, the Israeli army sent a number of military vehicles into Jenin from different directions, and then surrounded the Jenin refugee camp and cut off the road from the camp to the outside of the city. Videos circulating on social media showed frequent thick smoke over the Jenin area, with explosions and gunshots constantly ringing out. Israeli troops fired live ammunition and tear gas, Palestinian armed men fired at Israeli troops, and civilians threw stones.
The Israel Defense Forces issued a statement on the same day, saying that Israel carried out large-scale attacks in the Jenin area, and since the early morning of the 3rd, it has carried out air strikes on the joint operation rooms, weapons and ammunition storage facilities and communication centers of Palestinian armed personnel, and found hundreds of explosive devices in many locations.
On 3 July, in the Jenin area of the northern West Bank, the injured were carried to ambulances. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Ayman Norbani)
The Times of Israel quoted Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hegeri as saying that the operation targeted local armed groups in Jenin, not the Palestinian National Authority, and did not aim to occupy the Jenin refugee camp. He called the operation a "brigade-level raid." Israeli military sources said more than 1,000 Israeli soldiers were involved in the operation.
On the same day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu summoned Defense Minister Joyaf Galant, the Directorate-General of National Security and other relevant departments to assess the situation. Netanyahu said some of the weapons manufacturing facilities destroyed by Israeli forces were "on an industrial scale."
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced later on the 3rd that the Palestinian National Authority would stop "all contacts and meetings" with Israel. Abbas called on the leaders of all Palestinian factions to convene an emergency meeting to deal with the current situation and urged the international community to provide urgent protection to the Palestinian side.
On July 3, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (later center) convened an emergency meeting of Palestinian leadership in Ramallah. Xinhua News Agency (Photo courtesy of the Palestinian President's Office)
Israel occupied the West Bank in the Third Middle East War in 1967. According to the Oslo Accords signed by Palestine and Israel in 1993, the West Bank is divided into three areas: A, B and C, of which Area A is controlled by the Palestinian side. The refugee camp of Jenin is located in Area A, which has been the "powder keg" of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict for many years.
Public opinion generally believes that the subsequent development of the situation in the Palestinian-Israeli region requires special attention to the actions of armed organizations such as the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Islamic Jihad (Jihad). On the 3rd, the head of the Hamas Politburo called on all Palestinian factions to "fight together as one" and called on young people in the West Bank to "use all possible means" to confront the Israeli army. The Jihad leadership said it would respond to the Israeli "massacre" in Jenin.
On 3 July, in the Jenin area of the northern West Bank, Israeli forces used helicopters to evacuate wounded soldiers. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Jill Cohen Magan)
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict has heated up sharply, arousing strong concern in the international community. The United Nations Special Envoy for the Middle East, Tor Vinnezlan, said on social media on the 3rd that the escalation of the situation was "very dangerous", saying that the operation once again reminded people that the situation in the West Bank is "extremely unstable and unpredictable." He called for the delivery of necessary medical and other material aid to the West Bank. Vinnezlan said he has been in constant communication with the leaders of the two sides and is committed to easing tensions.
Lynn Hastings, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, also said on social media that she was "shocked" by the scale of the Israeli army's operation, and that relevant United Nations departments were mobilizing humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian side.
The League of Arab States and the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Iran and other countries issued a statement condemning Israel on the same day, urging Israel to immediately stop the current military action, end the cycle of violence as soon as possible, and avoid the situation from deteriorating continuously.