Israeli army continues military offensive in Jenin for 3rd day

By Qais Abu Samra

JENIN, Palestine (AA) - The Israeli army on Friday continued its military offensive in the city of Jenin and its refugee camp in the northern West Bank for the third consecutive day.

According to witnesses, the military offensive in Jenin has expanded, with Israeli forces storming the refugee camp, the eastern neighborhood, and the town of Zababdeh. They surrounded homes, conducted searches, and interrogated a large number of residents.

The witnesses reported hearing explosions and exchanges of gunfire sporadically across several areas in Jenin.

The Israeli army has deployed additional military reinforcements, leading to armed clashes with Palestinians.

Military bulldozers also accompanied the Israeli force and were involved in the destruction of infrastructure and vehicles in the city and the camp, witnesses said.

In the town of Zababdeh near Jenin, Ahmed Turkman, a local resident, told Anadolu that Israeli forces entered the town, opened fire on a group of young men and set a Palestinian vehicle on fire.

"We found bloodstains on the ground after the army withdrew," Turkman added.

In Tulkarm, witnesses told Anadolu that the Israeli army withdrew from the area on Thursday evening after a military offensive that lasted more than 48 hours.

They added that the Israeli army pulled out of the city, leaving behind four people dead, several injured and significant damage to infrastructure.

On Wednesday, the Israeli army launched the largest military offensive since 2002 in the cities of Tulkarm and Jenin, as well as in the Al Fara refugee camp near Tubas, killing 16 Palestinians, according to Palestinian figures.

The army withdrew from the Al Fara camp early Thursday after a 30-hour operation.

Tension has been running high across the occupied West Bank amid a brutal Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 40,600 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7 last year.

At least 670 Palestinians have since been killed, nearly 5,400 others injured and over 10,300 arrested in the occupied territory, according to Palestinian figures.

In a landmark opinion on July 19, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land unlawful and demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi in Ankara