Israel Holds Largest Military Operation Since 2002 In The West Bank: Kills Eight Palestinians And Injures Dozens

Israeli soldiers during a raid in Jenin, West Bank, Palestine. (Wikimedia Commons/IDF Spokesperson's Unit photographer)

JAKARTA - The Israeli military launched a massive offensive against Jenin City in the West Bank, one of the largest military operations in the region in twenty years, involving hundreds of army and drone personnel, killing eight Palestinians while dozens more were injured throughout Monday.

Shots and explosions were heard throughout the day as fighting continued between Israeli forces and fighters from the Jenin Brigades, a unit consisting of militant groups based in the city's refugee camps.

"What happened in the refugee camps is a real war," Palestinian ambulance driver Khaled Falamad said.

"There was an attack from the sky targeting the camp, every time we entered, about five to seven ambulances and we returned full of wounds," he said.

At least six drones were seen circling over adjacent cities and camps in the morning, a dense area that houses about 14,000 refugees in a distance of less than half a square kilometer.

Citing TASS from the Palestinian WAFA news agency, the Israeli air force carried out a missile attack on a Palestinian refugee camp in Jenin and surrounding areas on Monday night.

Shortly thereafter, Israeli forces entered Jenin and surrounded the camp, cutting off power supply and blocking roads. According to Al Arabiya's TV channel, more than 200 armored equipment, including armored personnel and tanks, entered Jenin city and refugee camps. Arab media reported that the Israeli military had detained dozens of Palestinians in the city.

The camp has been at the heart of rising violence in the West Bank, sparking growing concerns from Washington to the Arab world.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed at least eight people had died and more than 50 people were injured in Jenin. Meanwhile another man died in Ramallah, shot in the head at a checkpoint.

The Israeli military said its forces attacked a building serving as a command center for fighters from the Jenin Brigade, a move that is said to be an extensive counterterrorism to destroy infrastructure and disrupt militants using refugee camps as bases.

During the operation, Israeli armored bulldozers hijacked roads in camps, cutting city water supplies, the Jenin City Government said, as residents described soldiers breaking through walls to pass from house to house.

"No one is safe in the camp. They are digging the streets with bulldozers. Why? What did the camp do?" said Hussein Zeidan, 67, who was injured in hospital.

An Israeli military spokesman said the operation would last as long as necessary, with troops maintained for a long time.

"It can take hours, but it can also take days. We focus on our goals," he said.

The operation, which was held on Monday, was said to involve brigade-level troops, around 1,000-2,000 troops.

Separately, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' spokesman called the operation "a new war crime against our helpless people". Meanwhile, the UN envoy for the Middle East Tor Wennesland said he was talking to all parties, to reduce and ensure humanitarian access.

It is unclear whether the attack would trigger a broader response from Palestinian factions, pulling militant groups in the Gaza Strip, a coastal enclave controlled by the Hamas Islamist militant group.

Saleh Al-Arouri, accused by Israel of leading the Hamas military wing in the West Bank, told Aqsa TV fighters in Jenin should try to catch Israeli soldiers.

"Our fighters will rise from everywhere, and you will never know where the new fighters will come from," he said.