Israeli forces continue Jenin Operation for third day, clashes with Palestinians

Shafaq News/ Israeli forces pressed ahead with their military operation in the city of Jenin and its refugee camp in the northern West Bank for a third consecutive day on Thursday, escalating confrontations that have displaced hundreds and drawn sharp responses from Palestinian factions.

Palestinian media reported that Israeli troops brought in additional reinforcements, including military bulldozers, to the outskirts of the camp. Soldiers forced hundreds of Palestinian families to evacuate, subjecting residents to rigorous inspections, and arrested at least 10 people, including women. Bulldozers continued to destroy infrastructure and the main entrance to the government hospital.

Snipers positioned on rooftops targeted anything that moved, while military vehicles patrolled the camp streets.

In response, the Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, and the Jenin Battalion of Islamic Jihad’s al-Quds Brigades claimed responsibility for intense clashes with Israeli forces. The groups said they were using gunfire and homemade explosives, inflicting “direct hits on Israeli soldiers.“

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the operation in Jenin reflects lessons learned from Gaza.

“The attack on the Jenin camp will redefine security concepts for the Israeli army in the West Bank,” Gallant said in a statement late Wednesday. He described the operation, dubbed “Iron Wall,” as a strategy inspired by repeated airstrikes in Gaza.

Katz vowed Israel would not allow what he called “Iranian proxies and radical Sunni Islam” to establish a “terror front” in the region and said Israel would take decisive action to eliminate such threats.