Recap: Since early Monday morning thousands of IDF troops are operating against terrorist infrastructure inside Jenin.
- The operation has included use of air power, elite forces and infantry, all based on precise intelligence of the Shin Bet.
- The operation’s objective is to break the city’s terror infrastructure, which includes destroying labs where improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and weapons are built, to target armed men, to collect weapons, and to arrest wanted men.
The operation so far: The IDF targeted several command and control centres.
- Three explosive laboratories have been discovered, including a storehouse for hundreds of IEDs and several thousand grenades.
- At a mosque IDF troops found two underground shafts that were used to store large quantities of weapons.
- So far, 120 wanted men have been arrested and 20 targets have been attacked from the air.
- Palestinian sources confirmed 10 men have been killed, with another 20 in serious condition.
- Jenin Mayor Nidal Obeidi said 3,000-4,000 Palestinian residents have been temporarily removed from their homes.
Weapons seized during Operation House and Garden. Photo courtesy of the IDF.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said last night: “In recent months Jenin has become a city of refuge for terrorism. We are not prepared to accept this – and we are putting a stop to it.
- “At this moment, our forces are taking strong and determined action in Jenin. Commando Brigade soldiers, the Border Police, special forces, the Air Force and others are now acting in the heart of the Jenin refugee camp. They are targeting and arresting terrorists, and destroying command centres and laboratories.
- “There are no sanctuaries for terrorists – not in Gaza, not in Judea and Samaria, not anywhere. We are operating against the terrorists while making a maximum effort to avoid harming non-combatants.
- “We are taking the initiative and using the element of surprise. We are changing and being innovative. We are determining a new equation against terrorism, constantly. Our guiding principle is simple: Whoever murders Israelis, whoever conspires to murder us, will be in either jail or the grave.”
Support from the Opposition: The operation coincides with continued public protests and strong political opposition over the government’s plans to advance aspects of their judicial reform. Despite this, the miliary operation received backing by opposition leaders.
- Leader of the Opposition Lapid said, “This is a justified and necessary operation, one that was launched and aided by quality, precise intelligence about the terrorist infrastructure in Jenin and Iranian involvement in funding and aiding terrorism.
- “The goal of this operation is not to harm and weaken the Palestinian Authority even further. The current prime minister, as I did before him, has said repeatedly that Israel has no interest in bringing down the Palestinian Authority, but in strengthening it. But if the Palestinian Authority does not want us to act in its territory, it must act forcefully to prevent terror organisation in the city.
- “I call on the international community: Before you break out in the automatic chorus of denunciations, look at the 28 terror victims in recent months. At Maia and Rina Dee, at Hallel and Yagel Yaniv, at six-year-old Yaakov Palay and eight-year-old Asher Paley. The State of Israel will not stand by while our children are being murdered.”
Context: This is the largest offensive the IDF has undertaken in twenty years.
- The Israeli government maintain its policy of distinction. This operation remains limited to Jenin, whilst the rest of the West Bank has so far remained relatively quiet, allowing 70,000 Palestinian workers to enter into Israel yesterday.
- The Israeli government has stressed, this “operation is not against the Palestinian Authority,” with the IDF Spokesperson adding, “we are strict about coordinating with the Palestinian security organisations as much as possible.”
- Since the beginning of the year, 29 people have been killed and more than 270 people have been injured during terror attacks.
- According to IDF data, of the 290 terror attacks emanating from the West Bank since June 2022, 106 (or 36.5 percent) came from Jenin. These 106 attacks claimed 15 lives. Notable fatal terror attacks organised from Jenin in recent years include a mass shooting in Bnei Brak in March 2022 in which five civilians were killed; a mass shooting on Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff Street a little over a week later in which three people were murdered; the shooting on May 30th 2023 of a 42-year-old Israeli civilian father on two outside the West Bank settlement of Hermesh.
- Terror funding from Iran and its proxies and allies into the West Bank has increased from 15 million Shekels (£3.2 million) in 2021 to 32 million (£6.8 million) in the first half of 2023. The proportion channelled to the Jenin area has also increased substantially.
- Around 40,000 people live in the city of Jenin, with 10,000 living inside the refugee camp. The IDF is acutely concerned with only targeting terrorists and minimising harm to the civilian population.
- Israel shared the planned operation with the US in advance, emphasising that they could not accept Jenin remaining a safe haven for terrorists. So far, the US has given its backing for Israel’s right to combat terror, whilst stressing civilian casualties must be minimized as far as possible. That position is shared by Israeli political and security leaders as well.
- A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak emphasised support for Israel’s right to defend itself, but urged the protection of civilians and the avoidance of escalation.
Looking ahead: The operation is expected to last another day or two, with some military experts advising to end sooner before there are any Israeli fatalities.
- However, others caution that although the operation will soon come to an end, further incursions may well be necessary in the future.
