Extensive Israeli Attack on Jenin; At Least Eight Killed

Israeli forces on Monday launched one of the most extensive attacks in the past 20 years on the West Bank, targeting the city of Jenin with drones. Israeli forces killed at least eight people. Their operation involved hundreds of soldiers and armed clashes that, according to Reuters, continued into the afternoon. The 'Jenin Brigade,' formed by militant groups based in the overcrowded refugee camp in Jenin, stated that they engaged with Israeli forces and shot down a drone. Reuters reports that the sound of drones was clearly heard, along with gunfire and explosives echoing throughout the city hours after the attack. Since the end of the 'Second Intifada' two decades ago, operations of this scale have rarely been seen in the city. During the morning hours, at least six drones flew over the city of Jenin and the adjacent camp, which houses around 14,000 refugees in less than half a square kilometer. This camp has been at the center of escalating violence across the West Bank. These violent incidents have raised increasing concerns from Washington to the Arab world, without any path to resume political negotiations that have been stalled for nearly a decade. For over a year, Israeli military attacks in cities like Jenin have become commonplace. On the other hand, Palestinians have carried out a series of deadly attacks against Israelis, and groups of Jewish settlers have also attacked Palestinian villages. The Palestinian health ministry confirmed that at least eight people were killed in Jenin and over 50 were injured. The Israeli army described its attack as a large-scale anti-terrorism operation, stating that its forces targeted a building that was the command center for the Jenin Brigade fighters. Four people were also killed in a separate armed attack near a Jewish settlement in the West Bank.