The situation in the already restive and tense West Bank has exploded overnight, following major Israeli military raids into the Palestinian territory involving hundreds of IDF troops.
Three areas were targeted simultaneously in what is the largest security raid on the occupied West Bank in two decades. Even fighter jets provided support on the assault on Jenin, Tulkarem and Tubas - and drones and bulldozers were seen operating as well. The ongoing operation impacts an area of some 80,000 Palestinians total.
At least ten Palestinians have been killed, including three after a targeted drone strike on their vehicle.
Israel’s military has said that the nine deceased were "armed terrorists who posed a threat to security forces." The IDF further said "wanted suspects" have been rounded up in in Jenin and Tulkarem, and that IEDs have been uncovered and dismantled.
While much of the Gaza Strip has seen frequent evacuation orders due to the over 10-month long IDF anti-Hamas operation there, Israeli leadership is controversy mulling potential evacuations for parts of the West Bank.
Large-scale evacuations would be an unprecedented move in the territory which is administered by the Palestinian Authority (PA).
lsrael launches mass military operation in northern West Bank.
— TIMES OF GAZA (@Timesofgaza) August 28, 2024
Late last night, the lsraeli occupation forces announced they are to launch a large-scale military operation targeting northern West Bank.
Among the areas targeted are Jenin, Tubas and Tulkarm, which were indeed… pic.twitter.com/iCl06MVFKk
Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday said "We need to deal with the [terror] threat exactly as we deal with terror infrastructure in Gaza, including the temporary evacuation of Palestinian civilians and any other step needed."
Palestinian officials and activists have warned that this would be a form of ethnic cleansing - given also that already in many of these areas Jewish settlers have moved in as part of efforts to take the land for Israel.
Katz said a full evacuation would be justified to disrupt alleged Iranian smuggling networks. "Iran is working to establish a terror front against Israel in [the West Bank], according to the model it used in Lebanon and Gaza, by funding and arming terrorists and smuggling advanced weapons from Jordan," he said on X.
Israeli occupation forces block the entrance to the Jenin Governmental Hospital in the occupied West Bank, amid threats of an imminent raid of the hospital by the Israeli military. pic.twitter.com/dOhcYDRNDR
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) August 28, 2024
Already a strict curfew has been declared in parts of the West Bank where Israel's military is operating:
Kamal Abu al-Rub, the Palestinian governor of Jenin, said Israeli officials had informed their Palestinian counterparts that they were imposing a formal curfew on parts of the city. Israeli forces were surrounding the city’s hospitals, entrances, and exits, he said. "People are living in a state of terror and anxiety," Abu al-Rub said.
The Jenin governor has also described the IDF operations as "unusually fierce" after gunfire and explosions rang out over the territory overnight.
The three targeted territories are also home to sprawling refugee camps, hosting the displaced from other parts of historic Palestine...
But Israeli leaders have said "this is war". Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter has been a notable figure to back Katz's call for West Bank evacuations, telling Army Radio that "if we have to evacuate people in order to keep our soldiers safe, they will be evacuated. They are not being sent abroad — they are being evacuated and after that they will return home."
