West Bank Dispatch: The aftermath of the Jenin invasion

Key Developments (July 4-6) 

• 12 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in Jenin this week during a massive Israeli military operation on the Jenin refugee camp that lasted 48 hours. Between Monday, July 3rd, and early morning Wednesday, July 5, around 1,000 Israeli ground troops, along with air forces, enforced a siege on the camp, conducting drone strikes and using live fire, tear gas, and other weapons on residents of the camp. Israeli forces were met with a fierce confrontation with local resistance groups in the camp, who used live fire and handmade explosives to push back the invading forces. 12 Palestinians were killed during the raid, including at least four youths, the youngest of whom were 16, according to Defense for International Palestine. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, over 120 Palestinians were injured during the raid, including some 20 people in serious and critical condition. One Israeli soldier was also killed in the final hours of the raid, according to the Israeli army. The raid marked one of the deadliest and most extensive military operations in the West Bank since the Second Intifada, when Israeli forces invaded the Jenin Camp, killing more than 50 Palestinians. In 2002, 25% of the camp’s residents were displaced due to the mass destruction of homes and infrastructure in the camp. Similar scenes played out this week, as Israeli drones bombed buildings in the camp, and bulldozers raised entire streets and damaged water infrastructures in the camp. Thousands of Palestinians participated in the funeral of the 12 slain Palestinians in Jenin on Wednesday afternoon, hours after Israeli forces retreated from the city.
• Two Palestinians were killed in separate incidents on Monday and Tuesday. In the early hours of Monday morning, 21-year-old Mohammad Emad Husnain was shot in the town of al-Bireh near Ramallah during a protest over Israel’s invasion of Jenin. On Tuesday, Hassan Khalila, 23, from al-Samu’ in Hebron, was shot and killed in Tel Aviv after carrying out a car-ramming and stabbing that injured seven Israelis. 
• A Palestinian was killed on Thursday July 6th after carrying out a shooting operation at the illegal Kedumim settlement in the northern West Bank. The identity of the Palestinian gunman has been reported as Ahmad Yassin Ghaythan, who is reportedly affiliated with Hamas. One Israeli settler was killed. The shooting operation came one day after Israeli troops retreated from the Jenin refugee camp after a deadly 48-hour raid. The raid on Jenin sparked widespread protest and anger across the West Bank and Gaza. 
• While Israeli forces raided Jenin this week, Israeli settlers launched attacks on Palestinians in various areas of the West Bank. According to Wafa News Agency, between Monday and Tuesday in the Nablus, Jericho, and Ramallah districts. In the Nablus-area village of Beit Dajan, Israeli settlers set fire to olive groves under the protection of Israeli soldiers. Settlers also burned down trees and Palestinian farmlands in the Nablus-area village of Urif. Also in the Nablus-area village of Burqa, Israeli settlers attacked homes with rocks, while Israeli soldiers fired tear gas at Palestinian residents who attempted to fend off the settlers. In Jericho, Israeli settlers threw rocks at Palestinian vehicles on a major highway, and in the Ramallah-area village of Deir Dibwan, armed settlers reportedly raided the village and shot at Palestinian residents. 

Mondoweiss highlights

• Jenin: the fight over the capacity to resist, by Abdaljawad Omar
• Israel might try to make Jenin the new Gaza, by Yumna Patel
• Jenin Invasion Day 2: As Israeli army withdraws, Palestinian resistance claims victory, by Mondoweiss Palestine Bureau

Important figures

• Close to 190 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers since the start of 2023