At least ten people have died after Israeli attacks in Jenin.
Thousands of Palestinians have been forced to flee their homes after the largest operation in the West Bank in 20 years.
– I’m shaking so much that I can’t stand, says Suha Ali Hussein, one of the residents of the city.
Thousands of Palestinians have been forced to flee their homes during the military operation carried out by the Israeli military in the West Bank. At least ten people have been killed and 100 injured, according to a statement from the Palestinian Ministry of Health. About 20 are seriously injured.
In the city of Jenin, around 3,000 people have left a Palestinian refugee camp due to unrest in the area, according to the aid organization Red Crescent. Around 18,000 people are still in the camp.
Biggest operation in 20 years
– It is difficult to describe. I was in the kitchen when it exploded. It felt like the whole world was on fire, like the whole house exploded. I’m shaking so much I can’t stand, said Saha Ali Hussein, one of the Jenin residents affected by the attacks.
Juliette Touma, spokesperson for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, UNRWA, told AFP that many are in urgent need of food, drinking water and powdered milk.
– The big disaster is once again for the Palestinians who live in Jenin, for example ordinary people, says Isabell Schierenbeck, political scientist at Ben-Gurion University.
It was on Monday that Israel began the largest operation in almost 20 years, writes The Guardian. The Israeli army IDF has carried out several drone attacks and sent a large number of soldiers to the area.
According to the country’s President Benjamin Netanyahu, the operation is being carried out to stop terrorists who want to destroy Israel. On Monday, the president stated that the operation will last as long as necessary.
“Open war against the people”
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls the escalation in the West Bank “an open war against the people”, writes TT. Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas has announced the suspension of all contacts and security cooperation with Israel.
After Monday’s unrest in the area, 133 Palestinians have now been killed in the West Bank following the conflicts of the past year.
The UN Security Council has called on both Israel and Palestine to avoid actions that could increase tensions.