Israeli army set fire to home at Jenin refugee camp in West Bank

By Awad Rajoob

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - The Israeli army set fire to a home in the Jenin refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank on Wednesday.

This came during the eighth consecutive day of Israel's military operation in the city of Jenin and its surrounding camp.

The official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, reported that Israeli forces “set fire to the house and stormed the house of a slain Palestinian, wreaking havoc inside.”

It said that the Israeli forces later withdrew from the yard of the camp but military vehicles remain stationed around the Jenin Governmental Hospital.

The ongoing Israeli military operation, which began eight days ago, targets several northern West Bank governorates, including Jenin and Tulkarm.

According to Palestinian officials, this is the “largest” operation in 22 years, resulting in the deaths of 33 Palestinians, injuries to 140 others, and the arrest of dozens.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Israeli news site Walla reported that the Israeli army decided to extend its military operation in the Jenin refugee camp “indefinitely,” after it was initially scheduled to conclude on Tuesday.

Tension has been running high across the occupied West Bank as Israel pressed ahead with its brutal onslaught on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 40,800 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7 last year.

At least 685 people have since been killed and more than 5,700 injured by Israeli fire in the West Bank, according to the Health Ministry.

The escalation followed a landmark opinion by the International Court of Justice on July 19 that 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 Mohammad Sio