JENIN, (PIC)
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) backed by military aircraft carried out a large-scale operation in the West Bank City of Jenin on Tuesday, killing at least 10 Palestinians and injuring 35 others. The number of casualties is likely to rise.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces, who had killed and injured many citizens in Jenin recently as part of their security cooperation with the Israeli occupation, ended their weeks-long operation and siege in the area and withdrew from the vicinity of Jenin refugee camp immediately after the IOF soldiers started their raid.
According to Haaretz news website, the PA security forces withdrew from the area at the request of the Israeli army.
The Israeli government and army said earlier on Tuesday that military and police forces alongside intelligence services launched an operation dubbed the “Iron Wall” to eradicate armed groups in Jenin.
Six of the victims were killed in drone and helicopter attacks on Jenin camp, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
35 people, mostly civilians, were also injured in the IOF raid, including a doctor and a nurse who were at the Amal Hospital near Jenin camp. The injuries of some people have been described as serious.
Dozens of IOF snipers, who were deployed in different sites in and around Jenin camp, reportedly embarked on targeting civilians in streets and homes, while local sources reported seeing Apache helicopters and drones in the sky and Israeli military vehicles everywhere.
Meanwhile, armed clashes broke out between resistance fighters and Israeli forces in different areas of Jenin.
The new deadly operation in Jenin, where the Israeli army has carried out multiple raids and large-scale incursions in recent years, comes just days after a ceasefire took effect in the Gaza Strip, and underscores the threat of more Israeli crimes in the occupied West Bank.