Temporary Withdrawal of Israeli Army from Jenin After Ten Days of Extensive Operations

After ten days of extensive military operations by Israel in Jenin and several other Palestinian cities and camps in the northern West Bank, the Israeli army published a report on its operations during this period in Jenin. The official statement from the Israeli army was released after the Palestinian news agency Wafa, affiliated with the Palestinian Authority, announced that the Israeli army had exited Jenin and all surrounding Palestinian camps. In its statement on Friday, September 6, the Israeli army wrote that during the ten days of operations in Jenin, it had eliminated '14 terrorists,' arrested 30 suspects involved in terrorist activities, and discovered and destroyed approximately 30 explosive packages, a weapons cache in the basement of a mosque, and a laboratory for producing explosives. The Israeli army's operations began following several armed attacks by Palestinian militants against Israeli civilians, attempts to detonate a car bomb in Israeli cities, and a failed attempt by a Palestinian bomber to explode a synagogue in Tel Aviv. This Israeli operation was the largest of its kind in the West Bank in the past 22 years, occurring not only in Jenin but also in Tulkarem, the al-Far'a camp, and Tubas. The statement confirmed that the Israeli army conducted four airstrikes in the West Bank during these ten days. On September 5, the army stated that in one of the airstrikes targeting a vehicle in Jenin, several militants were killed, including Mohammad Zubeidi, the son of Zakaria Zubeidi, a key figure in the Palestinian Liberation Organization's militants. Zakaria Zubeidi has a prison sentence due to two fatal shootings in this country. He was one of the commanders of the militants during the bloody events in Jenin in 2002. At the same time, the Israeli army stated that its operations in the West Bank would continue 'until objectives are achieved,' and an Israeli military official told CNN that the withdrawal of forces from Jenin was merely a 'pause.' Palestinians reported on Friday that the Israeli army had exited all camps where it had initiated military operations in the past week and a half. Wafa reported that from September 7 to 15, 21 Palestinians were killed in Israeli operations solely in the Jenin area. The Health Ministry of the Palestinian Authority stated that a total of 39 Palestinians were killed during the ten days of Israeli operations. According to CNN, statements from Hamas and Islamic Jihad indicate that at least 9 of the deceased were members of these two groups. The extremist groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad are recognized as terrorist organizations by the United States and the European Union, with their main base in the Gaza Strip, but they have been working to strengthen their forces in the West Bank alongside the Gaza war. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs accused Israel of using deadly warfare tactics in airstrikes in Jenin, Tubas, and Tulkarem. Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, stated on September 6 that Israel's operations have led to the destruction of roads and infrastructure in the mentioned areas. Local people in these areas told CNN that the actions of the Israeli army resembled operations in Gaza; infrastructure was destroyed, and water and electricity were cut off. According to the mayor of Jenin, over 70% of the infrastructure in this city has been destroyed during the Israeli army's operations since last October. The Israeli army told CNN that it had resorted to bulldozers to remove planted bombs from roads and streets.