Rough night in Jenin camp, clashes and power outages

Shafaq News/ Fierce clashes erupted on Tuesday evening between Palestinian militants and Israeli forces in Jenin camp, coinciding with a large-scale Israeli military operation in West Bank refugee camps. Power outages were reported across large parts of Jenin city and the camp.

The Israeli army launched its extensive operation in Jenin on Tuesday, resulting in the deaths of eight Palestinians and the injury of 35 others, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed the objective of the operation was to "eradicate terrorism and enhance security in the West Bank”, announcing that the Israeli military and Shin Bet (Israel's internal security service) had initiated a significant military operation in Jenin, calling it “another step toward achieving their goal of bolstering security in the region”.

Netanyahu added that Israeli forces were "systematically and resolutely targeting the Iranian axis wherever it has sent weapons in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and the West Bank."

In response, Mahmoud Al-Habbash, a senior adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, told Al Arabiya that "Israeli escalation in the West Bank has never stopped," accusing Israel of seeking to create a "new reality."

Al-Habbash also criticized the new US administration's decision to lift sanctions on Israeli settlers, seeing it as a "green light" for further violations.

Hamas called for intensifying resistance against Israeli forces in response to the Jenin operation.

Before the current Israeli operation, Palestinian security forces had conducted a weeks-long operation to reassert control over the city.

Recently, an agreement was reached to end tensions between the Palestinian Authority and the Jenin Brigade, with security forces and bomb disposal teams deployed in the camp.

The Israeli military has been conducting operations in northern West Bank areas, claiming they target Palestinian militants planning attacks against Israeli targets.

Violence has escalated in the West Bank since October 7, 2023, in the wake of the ongoing Gaza war, which paused on January 19, 2025, after a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.