According to Aljazeera, Israeli military operations in the occupied West Bank escalated on Sunday, with forces demolishing multiple buildings in Jenin’s refugee camp. This came hours after the killing of a 73-year-old Palestinian man, as reported by the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The Palestinian news agency Wafa stated that at least 20 homes were destroyed in the ad-Damj neighborhood of the camp, with explosions echoing across Jenin and surrounding towns.
The Israeli army acknowledged the operation, alleging that the targeted buildings were used as terrorist infrastructure. However, no evidence was provided to substantiate this claim.
This latest escalation is part of Israel’s month-long offensive, dubbed *Iron Wall*, which primarily targets Palestinian armed groups in the Jenin area. The operation follows a ceasefire agreement with Hamas in Gaza on January 19.
Since the offensive began, at least 27 Palestinians have been killed across the West Bank, many of them civilians, including a two-year-old girl and the elderly man killed on Sunday.
The sounds are horrific, said Jenin resident Henna al-Haj Hassan, describing the ongoing explosions. “We’ve been under attack for two weeks, shops are closed, and life here is unbearable.”
The destruction has led to widespread displacement and devastation. Ahmed Tobasi, another Jenin resident, criticized the unlivable conditions in the camp. “The Israeli army doesn’t need an excuse to destroy our houses and displace us,” he said. “This is a calculated plan to make the Palestinian cause disappear. These aren’t terrorist sites—they’re regular homes where multiple families live.”
The violence extended beyond Jenin, with Israeli forces killing a 27-year-old man, Mohammed Amjad Hadoush, in Arroub. Operations also expanded to towns near Tubas, where the army reportedly uncovered weapons and distributed Arabic-language leaflets condemning armed Palestinian groups as proxies of Iran.
In addition, Israeli settlers, supported by soldiers, raided a cemetery in Silwan and vandalized a mosque in a Bedouin village near Jericho.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned these actions, linking them to a broader surge in violence since the 2023 Gaza war.
The Jenin offensive has displaced approximately 15,000 Palestinians, worsening the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
This isn’t about security, Tobasi emphasized. “It’s about erasing Palestinian lives and history.