Israeli authorities have said that the ongoing military operations in Jenin won’t be extended to the whole West Bank.
This is as Israel launched a large-scale military operation against Palestinian militants in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank
It started with multiple drone strikes and Israel has sent in ground forces, leading to gun battles on the streets
Palestinian officials say at least five Palestinians have been killed and more than 20 others wounded
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said they were striking “terrorist infrastructure in the Jenin area”
Israel’s foreign minister says they are not planning to widen the operation to the whole West Bank.
In short, it’s a refugee camp in the city of Jenin, which is located in the north of the occupied West Bank.
The Jenin camp has been around since the early 1950s and was set up for Palestinians displaced during the 1948-49 war, which surrounded Israel’s creation.
The UN’s Palestinian refugee agency, Unrwa, says it’s currently home to some 14,000 people, who live in an area of only 0.42 sq km (0.16 sq miles).
The camp was severely affected by the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising. In April 2002, Israeli forces launched a full-scale incursion – known as the Battle of Jenin – in which at least 52 Palestinian militants and civilians and 23 Israeli soldiers were killed. The 10-day operation followed a campaign of Palestinian suicide bombings in Israel, many of which involved perpetrators from the city.
In the past year, Jenin and the camp have seen repeated Israeli military raids and local Palestinians have been linked to multiple shooting attacks targeting Israelis.
