8 Palestinians were killed when Israel began operations in Jenin

Eight Palestinians were killed and 35 injured by Israeli forces during a major operation in Jenin in the West Bank, the Ministry of Health in Palestine said.

Palestinian media reported a series of airstrikes as large numbers of soldiers poured into the city and its refugee camp, backed by drones, helicopters and armored bulldozers.

Israel’s prime minister said he had launched a “comprehensive and important” campaign to defeat terrorism in Jenin, which has long been seen as a stronghold of Palestinian militants.

It comes three days after a ceasefire began in Gaza and highlights the threat of further violence in the West Bank, where suspected Israeli settlers have also been on the rampage overnight.

The governor of Jenin, Kamal Abu al-Rub, told AFP news agency that “what is happening is an attack on the camp”, adding: “It came quickly, Apache. [helicopters] in the sky and in Israeli military vehicles everywhere.”

The official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, cited local sources as saying that Israeli forces had “completely surrounded” the Jenin camp, and that armored bulldozers had dug up many roads.

It also quoted the director of Jenin’s Government Hospital, Wissam Bakr, as saying that three doctors and two nurses were among those wounded by Israeli gunfire.

Palestinian security forces reportedly withdrew from some of their positions near the Jenin refugee camp before Israeli forces entered.

Brig-Gen Anwar Rajab, spokesman for the Palestinian Authority, told AFP that Israeli forces “opened fire on civilians and security forces”, resulting in dozens of casualties.

A statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation in Jenin – called the “Iron Wall” – is “an additional step to achieve the goal we have set: to strengthen security” in the West Bank.

“We are working effectively and decisively against the Iranian axis wherever it reaches: Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, [the West Bank] – and we’re still working.”

Israel accuses Iran of smuggling weapons and funds to Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other armed groups in the West Bank to quell unrest.

Israeli media quoted a military source as saying the objectives of the operation were to maintain its “freedom of action” in the West Bank, dismantle the infrastructure of armed groups, and eliminate imminent threats. The source also said that the work will continue “for as long as possible”.

The prime minister of the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, Mohammed Mustafa, condemned the attack, saying it was the latest in a series of “brutal Israeli actions” against Palestinians in the West Bank, according to Wafa.

Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have both called on Palestinians in the West Bank to escalate attacks on Israel because of the Jenin operation.

There have been a number of previous Israeli military operations in Jenin.

And recently, PA security forces have carried out a controversial, weeks-long operation against armed groups there, including Hamas and PIJ, trying to regain control.

There has been an outbreak of violence in the West Bank since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023 and the subsequent war in Gaza.

Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed as Israeli forces have stepped up their offensive, saying they are trying to stop deadly attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank and in Israel.

In another incident in the West Bank overnight, dozens of masked Israeli terrorists attacked Palestinians in two villages east of Qalqilya, Jinsafut and al-Funduq, burning Palestinian homes and vehicles and destroying property.

At least 21 Palestinians were injured, the Palestinian Red Crescent said. Two Israelis were also shot, apparently when an Israeli police officer opened fire in response to the violence.

The Israeli military said it was investigating the incidents, which it said Israeli civilians “incited riots, burned property, and caused damage”. It also said they threw stones and attacked Israeli security forces.

This happened after the new American President Donald Trump announced that he is about to lift the sanctions against Israeli immigrants who are accused of attacks in the West Bank.

The reversal of sanctions by the Biden administration against hard-line Israelis, could signal the White House is expected to tolerate an increase in Jewish settlements.

Israel’s Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, welcomed the US move. In a post on X, he praised Trump’s “unwavering and uncompromising support for the state of Israel”.

Meanwhile, Palestinian officials have criticized the policy change. “Removing the sanctions against the brutal immigrants encourages them to commit more crimes against our people”, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Palestine in a statement.

The mayor of al-Funduq, Luay Tayyam, told the BBC: “It’s like a green light for the residents, they say: ‘Go ahead, do whatever you want. You will not be persecuted.’

“So they’re excited about the news. And I think this was a big push for them last night. They feel encouraged by it.”

The al-Funduq attack was in the area where three Israelis were killed in a shootout earlier this month. It was the latest in a long series of attacks on settlers that have accelerated dramatically since the Gaza war began.

According to the Israeli anti-settlement group, Peace Now, in 2024 settlers also established 59 new settlements without permission from the Israeli government. That was more than double last year’s figure – which was a record year for residential developments.

Israel has built about 160 settlements housing some 700,000 Jews since it occupied the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East war. The settlements are considered illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this – as did the previous Trump administration.