Israeli forces
appeared Friday to have withdrawn from the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied
West Bank, after a more-than
weeklong military operation that has left dozens
dead and a trail of destruction.
Overnight, Israeli
armored personnel carriers were seen leaving the camp from a checkpoint set up
on one of the main roads, and an Associated Press reporter inside the camp saw
no evidence of any remaining troops inside as dawn broke early Friday morning.
Israel’s military had
no immediate comment but said it would issue a statement later in the day. It
was not clear whether the apparent withdrawal was only a temporary measure to
regroup forces.
Hundreds of Israeli troops have been involved for more than a
week in what has been their deadliest operation
in the occupied West Bank since the Israel-Hamas
war began, employing what the United Nations
called “lethal war-like tactics.”
Their focus has been the Jenin refugee camp, a stronghold of
Palestinian militancy that has grown since the Hamas attack on Israel that
started the war in Gaza nearly 11 months ago.
Fighting in Jenin
accounts for 21 of 39 Palestinians who local health officials say have been
killed during the Israeli push in the West Bank — most of whom, the military
says, have been militants.
The fighting has had a devastating effect on Palestinian
civilians living in Jenin.
Water and electric
services have been cut, families have been confined to their homes and
ambulances evacuating the wounded have been slowed on their way to nearby
hospitals, as Israeli soldiers search for militants.
In the quiet morning Friday, Jenin residents took advantage
of the lull to rummage through the rubble of destroyed buildings and take stock
of the damage.
Twisted rebar protruded from the concrete of collapsed
buildings, and walls still standing were pockmarked by bullets and shrapnel.
During the operation,
Israeli military officials said they were targeting militants in Jenin,
Tulkarem and the Al-Faraa refugee camp curb recent
attacks against Israeli civilians they say have
become more sophisticated and deadly.
It was not immediately clear whether they were also removing
troops from the other two camps as well.
The war in Gaza began when Hamas and other militants staged a
surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people, primarily
civilians. Hamas is believed to still be holding more than 100 hostages.
Israeli authorities estimate about a third are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has
killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to the
Health Ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza, which doesn’t distinguish between
civilians and combatants in its count. The ministry reports that more than
94,000 more have been wounded since the start of the war.
Israel has been under increasing pressure from the United
States and other allies to reach a cease-fire deal in Gaza, but Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu insists on a demand that has emerged as a major sticking
point in talks — continued Israeli control of the Philadelphi
corridor, a narrow band along Gaza’s border with Egypt
where Israel contends Hamas smuggles weapons into Gaza. Egypt and Hamas deny
it.
Hamas has accused Israel of dragging
out months of negotiations by issuing new
demands, including for lasting Israeli control over both Philadelphi corridor
and a second corridor running across Gaza.
Hamas has offered to release all hostages in return for an
end to the war, the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces and the release of a
large number of Palestinian prisoners, including high-profile militants —
broadly the terms called for under an outline for a deal put forward by U.S.
President Joe Biden in July.