At the entrance to Jenin refugee camp, some residents of the occupied town watched from a safe distance as Palestinian ambulances and Israeli military vehicles moved in and out. Others walked out, with tired faces and their few belongings in their hands.
Ala’a Aboushi, who lives at the entrance to the camp, handed out small paper cups of black Arabic coffee to journalists watching the scene. “They are done with , and now they came here to us in the West Bank to take revenge on us,” he told DW. “As civilians we don’t feel any safety here.”
On January 21, just after the temporary ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza came into effect, Israel’s Prime Minister announced a in the occupied West Bank against Palestinian militants. The refugee camp is considered by Israel as a stronghold for those militants.
Since then, the new Israeli military offensive has gradually expanded to other towns and villages in the area — such as Tulkarem, another major city in the north-west of the West Bank. The city is home to two refugee camps, Tulkarem and Nur Shams, built in the aftermath of Israel’s creation in 1948 to house displaced Palestinians.
Renewed raid brings more destruction
The area is no stranger to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) counter-terrorism operations. The incursions have increased in scale and scope since the Hamas terror attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Israel’s latest operation coincided with the inauguration of , who has said he will soon make a statement on Israeli plans to annex the West Bank.
The renewed raid includes airstrikes and ground incursions resulting in destroyed infrastructure, demolished homes, mass expulsions, deaths and arrests. People here fear that West Bank could become a .
“The IDF is operating vigorously in the Jenin refugee camp, to thwart terrorists and destroy the infrastructure of terror, as we saw here today,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on January 29, signalling a likely change in policy. “The Jenin refugee camp will not return to what it was. After the completion of the operation, IDF forces will remain in the camp to ensure that terrorism does not return.”
This came after an operation by Palestinian security forces in the camp against Palestinian militants. The Palestinian Authority has only limited rule in certain parts of the occupied West Bank. According to the United Nations, more than 40,000 Palestinian refugees have now been forcibly displaced from their camps.
Since the launch of the Israeli operation, UN OCHA reports that at least 39 Palestinians have been killed, including 25 in Jenin, 10 in Tubas and four in Tulkarem, among them militants and civilians, including a 23-year-old pregnant woman and a toddler.
IDF troops have killed over 60 Palestinian terror operatives and detained over 210 amid the ongoing operation, Israeli media reported on Thursday.
Each incursion grows in force
Umm Mohammed, a resident of the Tulkarem refugee camp has seen many Israeli incursions in her life. But, she told DW, each time it seems to get more violent. “Each time is stronger than the one before. I mean, we were all crying out of fear and terror.” The shooting was random and everywhere, she said. After a few days, they were told by the army to leave their home.
Since then, Umm Mohammed, her children and grandchildren are sharing two rooms in a local sports club that has offered to take in displaced people. Private donations of clothes and blankets are piled up in the entrance. A television shows live feeds from home – the city, the Tulkarem and Nur Shams refugee camps. The children are trying to get at least some of their schooling online, as most for refugees remain closed.
Umm Mohammed’s son Ahmed said he rejects the idea that Israel was only targeting militants. “When I’m in my house, I should feel safe. You come as an occupying soldier and throw me out of my house. By what right? Is there an armed person here?” he said, adding that he was not allowed to leave the camp in his electric wheelchair and now relies on the help of others.
But even leaving the camp was difficult, with roads heavily damaged, the family said. In Jenin, the army simultaneously blew up nearly 20 buildings on the eastern side of the camp, claiming they housed observation posts, explosives laboratories and other terrorist infrastructure. For many here, the destruction echoes the devastation in Gaza after the war.
Future unknown
The latest offensive is also accompanied by closures and hour-long waits at Israeli military checkpoints throughout the West Bank, severely disrupting the lives of its roughly 3 million inhabitants. Shifting the focus on the West Bank, the Israeli military confirmed to DW that “in accordance with the instructions of the political echelon (…) it was decided to “change protocol” and “to expand inspections at the checkpoints established on the roads of Judea and Samaria,” a term used in Israel for the West Bank.
Back in Tulkarem, where several roads leading to the city have also been closed off by the Israeli military, Umm Mohammed said she watched the news every day and waited anxiously to be allowed to return home. But she is also worried about the family’s pets — five cats and several pet budgies — which they have been forced to leave behind. “We left some food for them, but it’s been over a week. I’m afraid we’ll find them all dead when we get back.”
With their neighborhood emptied of its residents, there is no one to care for them, and no one knows how long this will last.
Edited by: Matt Pearson
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