Six Palestinians killed as Israel launches operation in Jenin

At least six Palestinians have been killed and 35 injured by Israeli security forces after they launched a major operation in Jenin in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry says.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel’s military, police and Shin Bet security service had launched an “extensive and significant” operation to “defeat terrorism” in Jenin.

Palestinian media said Israeli military vehicles moved into Jenin and its refugee camp on Tuesday morning following several drone strikes.

It comes after a weeks-long operation by Palestinian security forces against armed groups, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which they see as a challenge to their authority.

A statement from Israel’s prime minister said the operation was “additional step in achieving the objective we have set: bolstering security” in the West Bank.

“We are acting methodically and with determination against the Iranian axis wherever it reaches: in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and [the West Bank] – and we are still active,” he added.

An Israeli military statement said the operation was called “Iron Wall” and that it would continue “as long as necessary”.

Jenin’s governor, Kamal Abu al-Rub, told AFP news agency that “what is happening is an invasion of the camp”.

“It came quickly, Apache [helicopters] in the sky and Israeli military vehicles everywhere,” he added.

There has been a spike in violence in the West Bank since Hamas’s deadly attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 and the ensuing war in Gaza.

Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed as Israeli forces have intensified their raids, saying they are trying to stem deadly Palestinian attacks on Israelis in the West Bank and Israel.

Israel has built about 160 settlements housing some 700,000 Jews since it occupied the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East war. The settlements are considered illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.