By Qais Abu Samra
JENIN CITY, Palestine (AA) – The Israeli army has imposed a siege on the Jenin refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, according to the city’s governor on Thursday.
“Israeli forces are targeting everything in the city and its camp,” Kamal Abu al-Rub told Anadolu.
He said public and private buildings as well as main and subsidiary roads in the city were bulldozed by the Israeli forces
The governor said that Israeli forces have also slapped a siege around the Jenin Government Hospital in the city.
“The Israeli authorities have officially informed the Palestinian Civil Liaison, a contact point with Israel, to prevent the entry or exit of any citizen from the Jenin camp until further notice,” he added.
According to witnesses, several houses and shops were searched by Israeli forces, while at least one person was detained.
Tensions have been running high across the West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip after an attack by the Hamas group on Oct. 7, 2023.
At least 543 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 5,200 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.
Israel stands accused of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice, which in its latest ruling has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its military operation in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.
*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara