The Israeli army launches a deadly operation in Jenin in the occupied West Bank, while the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas came into force this Sunday.
As Palestinians return home to Gaza under a long-awaited ceasefire agreement, a large-scale Israeli military operation has been launched in the region and Israeli settlers have invaded two Palestinian towns.
The IDF entered the Jenin refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank on Tuesday, killing 9 and wounding 35. Convoys of Israeli jeeps crept through the streets, followed by armored vehicles and a dozen bulldozers. Airstrikes rang out. The Israeli army ordered hundreds of people to leave the camp.
This violence comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces domestic pressure from his far-right allies after accepting the truce and hostage exchange with Hamas. The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas came into effect on Sunday, after more than 15 months of intense war in the Gaza Strip.
This operation could compromise the ceasefire, which should last at least six weeks and allow the release of dozens of hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, most of whom will be released in the West Bank.
Palestinians view these operations and settlement expansion as ways to consolidate Israeli control over territory. Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East war.