Al-Jazeera / July 5, 2023
Israeli forces have now withdrawn from Jenin, local media have said, however Palestinians say they are still present.
Israeli jets struck the Gaza Strip after Israeli forces withdrew from Jenin in the occupied West Bank, ending Israel’s largest assault in the region in nearly two decades.
The Israeli attack hit an underground weapons manufacturing facility Wednesday in the Gaza Strip in response to rockets fired from Gaza towards southern Israel overnight.
According to local media, all Israeli forces have now withdrawn from the city in the West Bank that Israel illegally occupies, ending a two-day operation that killed at least 12 Palestinians and injured about 100 others.
Israeli army spokesperson Brigadier General Daniel Hagari made the announcement on Wednesday, according to a report on the army’s radio station.
Palestinians say, however, a large contingent of Israeli forces is still present in Jenin.
Residents who were forced to flee Jenin’s refugee camp where the raid took place began returning overnight on Wednesday to survey their destroyed homes and belongings. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said it evacuated 500 families from the camp, about 3,000 people.
Thousands of Palestinians across the West Bank celebrated the withdrawal of the Israeli forces.
The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed “deep concern” about the assault on Jenin and will hold a meeting on Friday to discuss it.
The Jenin refugee camp houses more than 14,000 Palestinians who are descendants of people dispossessed when Israel was created in 1948.
Israel claims its attack, which began on Monday, is to target fighters in Jenin, but aid groups have said they are treating wounded people of all ages.
The raids have drawn condemnation from Iran, Egypt, Jordan and the Arab League, among others.
SOURCE: AL-JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES
