Jenin: Eight Palestinians killed as Israel bombs West Bank city in large offensive
Middle East EyeJul 03, 2023
Starting early on Monday, Israel launched a massive military operation into the northern West Bank city of Jenin, killing at least eight Palestinians, five of which were teenagers, and injuring about 80 others.
This campaign — called a "brigade-level raid" — reportedly involved more than 1K troops and over ten drone strikes, with the Israeli military claiming to have struck a command center used by Palestinian militants in the adjacent Jenin refugee camp.
Israel is pushing the situation in the occupied West Bank to a breaking point by increasingly attacking Palestinian cities and committing war crimes. The current attack on Jenin is reminiscent of the 2002 battle of Jenin, in which Israel killed over 50 Palestinians and laid waste to the city's refugee camp. Though Israel clearly wants to continue its assault on the Palestinian people, it will have to keep in mind other fronts — such as Gaza and Lebanon — where it does not want to see an escalation.
Unfortunately, Israel has been forced to react to increasing Iranian interference in the West Bank and break the mindset that Jenin can be used as a springboard to launch attacks against Israeli civilians. For too long, Palestinian terrorists have been allowed to operate relatively freely in the northern West Bank — this must change. Additionally, Iran has been increasing its support to terrorists, fomenting a violent situation to which Israel must respond.
There's a 42% chance that Israel will recognize Palestine by 2070, according to the Metaculus prediction community.