AL-FARAA REFUGEE CAMP, West Bank (AP) — Since the Hamas attacks on October 7 that were based in Gaza, the Israeli army has been carrying out attacks and raids almost daily in the occupied territory of the West Bank, but the large-scale operation that began Tuesday night and extended into Wednesday morning is the largest in the past 20 years, since the Second Intifada.
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The Israeli forces killed at least 10 Palestinian fighters and isolated the volatile city of Jenin, located in the northern part of the West Bank.
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Israel claims that it is eliminating insurgents to prevent attacks on its citizens, while Palestinians in the West Bank fear that the campaign aims to expand the war and force their displacement.
What is the difference between the West Bank and Gaza?
Both the West Bank and Gaza are Palestinian territories captured by Israel, as well as East Jerusalem, in the Six-Day War of 1967.
But there are important geographical differences: while Gaza is an enclave to the south of Israel on the border with Egypt, the West Bank is a much larger territory, located between Israel and Jordan, with cities like Ramallah, Bethlehem, Jenin, and Hebron.
Politically, Gaza is controlled by Hamas, while in the West Bank, the predominant group Fatah has been negotiating with Israel for decades. Thanks to the Oslo Accords of 1993, the creation of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) was achieved, which has limited control over some sectors of the West Bank territory.
Israel has built dozens of settlements throughout the West Bank, which are home to over 500,000 residents, despite international community's questioning. The settlers are Israeli citizens, while three million Palestinians in the West Bank live under Israeli military rule.
How was the military operation in Jenin?
"Numerous Israeli forces" entered Jenin, which has been an insurgent stronghold for years along with the refugee camps of Tulkarem and Al-Faraa, said army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani.
The nine deceased were insurgents, indicated the spokesperson, who explained that three died in an air strike in Tulkarem and another four in a similar operation in Al-Faraa. Another five alleged insurgents were arrested, he added while pointing out that the raids were the first phase of a broader operation to prevent attacks against Israelis.
Hamas announced that 10 of its fighters had died in the West Bank on Wednesday.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the West Bank, Israeli forces blocked access roads to a hospital with earthen barriers and surrounded other medical centers in Jenin. An Israeli spokesperson said that the army was trying to prevent insurgents from seeking refuge in hospitals.
The Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, Israel Katz, compared the situation in the West Bank to that of Gaza and called for similar measures: "We must confront the threat just as we do with the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza, including the temporary evacuation of Palestinian residents and any necessary measures. This is a war in every sense, and we must win it," he wrote on the social network X.
Hamas called on Palestinians in the West Bank to rise up and pointed out that the raids are part of a broader plan to expand the war in Gaza, while blaming the escalation on the United States' support for Israel. The group urged security forces loyal to the Palestinian Authority —backed by the West and cooperating with Israel— to "join the sacred battle of our people."
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesperson for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, condemned the raids as a "serious escalation" and called for the intervention of the United States. Abbas later announced the interruption of his visit to Saudi Arabia to return to the West Bank, where his government's headquarters are located.
At least 652 Palestinians have died from Israeli fire in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza War more than 10 months ago, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. The majority of the deaths occurred during such operations, which often lead to shootouts with insurgents.