Thousands of people have fled the refugee camp on the outskirts of the Palestinian city of Jenin, in the occupied West Bank, after large-scale attacks by the Israeli army. The Palestinian authorities report that people are being sheltered in schools and other buildings in the city.
Continuous firefights
In the night from Sunday to Monday, the refugee camp underwent the heaviest aerial bombardment in years. Some 1,000 to 2,000 Israeli soldiers were deployed in the action in Jenin. Israeli soldiers are still engaged in firefights. An Israel Defense Forces spokesman said on Monday that the operation could continue for days.
The Israeli army calls the attacks an “anti-terror operation”. It sees the refugee camp as a “terrorist stronghold”. At least 50 attacks on Israeli targets have been carried out from Jenin in the past six months. The refugee camp houses some 14,000 refugees tightly packed in less than half a square kilometer. According to the Palestinian authorities, nine people did not survive the attacks. At least 100 people have also been injured.
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