Unprecedented Israeli military operation in Jenin enters 100th day

Tens of thousands have been displaced across the West Bank since the beginning of 'Iron Wall'

Israeli soldiers install an iron gate at the entrance to Jenin camp, during a military operation that has been ongoing since January. Reuters

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The occupied West Bank on Wednesday marked 100 days since Israel launched an unprecedented invasion of Jenin’s refugee camp in an ongoing military operation that has raised fears the territory faces the same horrors endured by Gaza since October 7, 2023.

The “Iron Wall” raid, which has been extended from Jenin to other West Bank cities in the north, has led to tens of thousands of people being displaced, adding further strain on local authorities and NGOs trying to meet the needs of those fleeing. The refugee camps under siege were already struggling with difficult living conditions and high unemployment rates, and have long produced Palestinian militants.

"Jenin camp is completely uninhabitable due to the demolition of more than 600 houses," said Basheer Matahen, spokesman for Jenin municipality, said ahead of the 100-day mark.

Israeli forces are also operating in the eastern area of Jenin, he added, and there were "displacement operations in the Zahra district".

"The number of displaced people is 22,000," he said.

Between January 1, just before Iron Wall began, and April 24, more than 90 per cent of 116 Palestinians killed were in the north of the region, according to the UN. Seven Israelis, five of them security personnel, have been killed in the same period.

The Palestinian Authority, which is supposed to govern Jenin although it has lost almost all power there in recent years, launched its own operation in the camp at the end of last year.

Jenin's mayor Mohammed Jarrar told The National that since 2021, the area has seen more than 104 major raids, which he defined as lasting for longer than two days.

An Israeli military bulldozer in an army operation in Palestinian refugee camps in Tulkarm. AFP

While the whole of the West Bank has seen increased military operations in recent years, the latest round is unprecedented in its duration and goals. Israeli forces have engaged in widespread destruction in an apparent bid to prevent people from returning, installed metal barriers to control access and widened the often narrow alleys of the camps to make future incursions easier for heavy vehicles.

As the operation expanded to other camps in March, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said: "We are crushing the terrorist infrastructure in the refugee camps and preventing their return."

Members of Israel's far-right coalition – many of whom live in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank – consistently call for heavy military action throughout Palestinian territories and for their country to annex the entire region.

The UN says it is difficult to find an exact number of how many Palestinians have been displaced, “partly due to continuous attempts by families to return to their homes, with many displaced multiple times”. But estimates have put the number in the tens of thousands. Palestinian Authority figures specified 46,000 on Monday.

Journalist Ali Samoudi visits a shrine in Jenin where a Palestinian-American reporter was shot and killed while covering an Israeli raid. AP

Israel has also cracked down on civil liberties in the region, including restricting the work of journalists. The UN reported last week that Israeli forces fired tear gas at reporters and confiscated their equipment.

Fears are also growing for the well-being of veteran Jenin-based Palestinian journalist Ali Samoudi, who was detained by Israel in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Israel’s military accused him of being a “terrorist … who was identified with Islamic Jihad” and of transferring funds to the group, but Israel has provided no evidence. Mr Samoudi has worked for international outlets such as CNN and Reuters.

At a memorial event for fallen Israeli soldiers on Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "Thanks to the heroism of our fighters, we broke the stranglehold of our enemies: we did so in the south, in the north, in [the occupied West Bank] and on other fronts as well."