For a week now, the Israeli army has been bombarded with fire the northern part of the Gaza Strip and explains that it is hunting terrorists. The number of civilian Palestinian victims is growing, and with them the fury of Palestinians who have lost their homes and livelihoods.
Jenin on the West Bank of the Jordan River. Israel's heavy armored vehicles patrol the Palestinian city. The streets are broken and destroyed. The sight is apocalyptic, with debris from buildings and street pavement rolling everywhere. An old man tries to fight his way through the rubble to the place where his shop once stood.
Military action in Jenin
„Here, behind me, is my shop,”, he says. The hair salon was his property since 1954. He has supported himself from it to this day. “But now they destroyed it. Their goal is to destroy the country so that the people get tired and don't resist. But we will not get tired“ - in the voice of Imad Abu Al-Hayat creeps a grim, but also combativeness, notes ARD in a report from the West Bank.
Like the elderly man, many others in Jenin and other West Bank settlements think – they all face the ruins of their former lives and livelihoods. Exactly one week ago, the Israeli army began a military operation in Jenin, Tulkarem and other settlements in the West Bank.
"There will no longer be a safe place for terrorists"
Since the end of the Second Intifada, Israel has not invaded the Palestinian lands with such great violence as in recent days. The official explanation is that it is about fighting terrorism. After the terrorist attacks by Hamas on October 7, 2023, Israel acted decisively to prevent possible new attacks.
Government spokesman David Mencer said: “Our policy is clear: there will no longer be a single safe place, no safe haven where terrorists can feel safe and think they are in control. That is why we are now conducting a targeted operation”, ARD quoted him.
However, Israel's military action results in a large number of casualties in the West Bank. In Jenin alone, 20 people were killed within a week, and yesterday in Ramallah, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, a 16-year-old girl also died – a total of about 30 people were killed in the attack by the Israeli forces. And three Israeli policemen were also killed in a shootout on Sunday.
"We will not surrender"
Israeli military actions cause enormous fury among Palestinians. Ali Nabhan from Jenin is also angry: “The Israeli army does not have a clear target, so they are targeting us, but we will not surrender, no matter what they do,” says Nabhan.
"The bombs have been falling on Gaza for a year now, but Gaza is still holding on. And we will continue to withstand their attacks, God willing. Whatever they do.“
According to media reports, the Israeli army has meanwhile declared the West Bank a second “hot zone” of hostilities after the Gaza Strip.