JENIN, Palestine Territories: Gunfire and explosions rocked the occupied West Bank’s Jenin area on Wednesday (Jan 22), a Palestinian official and an AFP reporter said, as the Israeli military pressed on for a second day with a large-scale raid.
The operation, launched just days after a ceasefire paused fighting in Gaza, has left at least 10 Palestinians dead, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Israeli officials have said the raid is part of a broader campaign against militants in the occupied West Bank, citing thousands of attack attempts since the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas began in October 2023.
“The situation is very difficult,” Kamal Abu al-Rub, the governor of Jenin, told AFP.
“The occupation army has bulldozed all the roads leading to the Jenin camp, and leading to the Jenin Governmental Hospital … There is shooting and explosions,” he added.
Israeli forces have detained around 20 people from villages around Jenin since the operation began on Tuesday, the official said.
An AFP correspondent reported that gunfire and explosions could be heard coming from Jenin refugee camp, a hotbed of militancy where Israeli forces have regularly carried out raids.
In December, security forces from the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority were also involved in similar clashes with the militants in and around Jenin.
