Israel continues West Bank raids after Gaza carnage

A Palestinian official said hundreds of residents of the occupied West Bank’s Jenin refugee camp were leaving their homes yesterday, days into a large-scale Israeli raid in the area.

“Hundreds of camp residents have begun leaving after the Israeli army, using loudspeakers on drones and military vehicles, ordered them to evacuate the camp,” where Israel’s military launched an intense military operation this week, Jenin governor Kamal Abu al-Rub told AFP.

The army told AFP that it was “unaware of any evacuation orders for residents in Jenin as of now”.

Saudi Arabia has condemned Israeli forces’ attack in the occupied West Bank’s Jenin area, the Saudi Press Agency said early yesterday.

The Israeli military said yesterday it killed two Palestinians overnight during the raid in Jenin.

The Ramallah-based Palestinian health ministry said Israeli authorities had informed it of the deaths of Nazzal, 25, and Shalabi, 30. “The bodies are being withheld” by the army, it added in a statement.

Salim Saadi, a Jenin resident who lives on the edge of the refugee camp, told AFP that the army had asked camp residents to leave between 9:00 am (0700 GMT) and 5:00 pm.

“There are dozens of camp residents who have begun to leave”, he said. “The army is in front of my house. They could enter at any moment.”

The Israeli military launched an operation in Jenin on Tuesday, saying it aims to “uproot militants in the camp and the city”.

The offensive began just days after a ceasefire deal paused fighting in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli assault has killed at least 10 Palestinians and injured 40 more, according to the Ramallah-based Palestinian health ministry.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “Operation Iron Wall”, as it has been dubbed, will “eradicate terrorism” in the West Bank city.

Violence has surged throughout the West Bank since the Gaza offensive erupted on October 7, 2023.

According to the Palestinian health ministry, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 850 Palestinians in the West Bank since the conflict began.