Israeli forces have killed 70 people, including 10 children, in the occupied West Bank since the start of the year, the Palestinian Ministry of Health says.
According to the ministry’s tally – released on Monday – Israel’s sweeping raids have killed 38 people in Jenin, 15 in Tubas, six in Nablus, five in Tulkarem, three in Hebron, two in Bethlehem and one in occupied East Jerusalem.
Last month, shortly after the ceasefire in Gaza, the Israeli military launched a significant offensive known as the “Iron Wall” in the area. The Jenin area’s particular focus is on bringing down Palestinian armed groups.
The Israeli military also killed one woman and two elderly Palestinians, according to the ministry.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) president’s (PA) condemns the Israeli attacks on Monday, citing Palestinians’ refusal to accept “alternative homeland” or resettlement plans.
According to spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the Israeli occupation authorities are “expanding their all-out war against the Palestinian people in the West Bank in order to carry out their plans to displaced citizens and carry out ethnic cleansing.”
He added that hundreds of people have been injured or detained as a result of Israel’s policies, “along with the displacement of thousands of citizens, the displacement of entire residential blocks in the Jenin and Tulkarem refugee camps, and the massive destruction of infrastructure.”
In the ongoing operation, which has forced about 15, 000 Palestinians from the camp, Israeli forces forcibly displaced 23 buildings in the Jenin refugee camp on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Israel’s attacks in the Tulkarem refugee camp have displaced 75 percent of Palestinians from the area, Faisal Salama, head of the Popular Committee for Services in the camp, told the Anadolu news agency.
Doctors Without Borders, or MSF, on Monday condemned the Israeli attacks.
“Extreme violence has risen since the ceasefire was in place in Gaza, particularly in Jenin, Tulkarem, and Tubas,” according to the statement. This is unacceptable”, the organisation said in a post on X.
It warned that Israel’s blockade on Jenin caused by the ongoing operation is leading to a shortage of “vital” supplies.
“We have been supporting Jenin hospital with 10, 000 litres of fuel and 800, 000 litres of water. Additionally, mattresses, food distribution, and hygiene kits were provided for the camps in Jenin and Tulkarem, according to MSF.
Still, Israel’s offensive in the West Bank shows no signs of slowing down. In an effort to increase attacks, Israeli soldiers raided the occupied territory on Monday, using heavy armored personnel carriers.
Following 15 months of Israel’s genocidal war that reduced the enclave to rubble and killed nearly 62, 000 Palestinians, including thousands who are still unaccounted for and are presumed dead, a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement was signed in Gaza on January 19.
Source: Aljazeera
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