Israeli raids in West Bank focus on Jenin, long a center of resistance

Jenin has long embodied militant Palestinian resistance in the West Bank – both against the Israeli occupation and against the Palestinian Authority – providing fertile ground for armed groups. The conflict sharply intensified during the Gaza war, when local officials said more than 800 Palestinians were killed in West Bank clashes with Israeli forces and settlers.

Israel staged a 10-day raid in the West Bank in August and September that demolished homes, shops and roads, and killed 39 people – most of them in Jenin – according to Palestinian officials. And last month, Palestinian security forces launched their own attack in Jenin against Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Israeli soldiers are now back in Jenin, but this time the situation seems different.

Israel’s latest war with Hezbollah in Lebanon ended eight weeks ago, its 15-month war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip reached a ceasefire on Sunday and some Israeli units withdrew from both war zones. That leaves the army free to focus on the West Bank, and its leaders say they are determined to do so.

On Monday, Israel Katz, Israel’s Defense Minister, told military commanders: “The fight against Palestinian terrorism in the West Bank is now at the top of military and Israeli priorities,” according to a statement from his office.

Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli army spokesman, made clear Wednesday that the West Bank offensive — which Palestinian officials say has so far left 10 dead and more than 40 wounded — would continue. for at least several days. This reflects the lessons Israel learned from the brutal attack carried out by Hamas on October 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 people and sparked the war in Gaza.

“We must learn the lessons of October 7 and not let terrorist groups regroup, rearm and plan terrorist attacks just a few hundred meters from us,” Colonel Shoshani said.