JENIN: The Israeli military said Sunday that it had killed at least 50 Palestinians during more than two weeks of operations in the occupied West Bank, earlier levelling buildings in Jenin refugee camp in the territory.
“As part of the operation to thwart terrorism… the IDF (military) recently destroyed several buildings in Jenin,” the military said in a statement, adding that they “were used as terrorist infrastructure”.
The army later said it destroyed 23 buildings in the operation.
An AFP journalist reported thick columns of smoke billowed over the surrounding area following the blasts.
Palestinian official news agency WAFA said Israeli forces “simultaneously detonated about 20 buildings” in the eastern part of Jenin refugee camp, adding that the “explosions were heard throughout Jenin city and parts of the neighbouring towns”.
The Palestinian foreign ministry in a statement condemned the Israeli action “to blow up large neighbourhoods”, describing the result as a “brutal scene”.
The Israeli military launched a major offensive in the West Bank on January 21 aimed at rooting out Palestinian armed groups from the Jenin area, which has long been a hotbed of militancy.
The military said it had “eliminated over 35 terrorists and apprehended more than 100 wanted individuals”, referring to action during the operation dubbed “Iron Wall”.
“In an advance operation, over 15 terrorists were eliminated in aerial strikes,” it added. A military spokesman told AFP that the operation was launched on January 14.
The Palestinian health ministry meanwhile said that the Israeli military killed two individuals in separate incidents in the West Bank on Sunday.
LARGE DEPLOYMENT
The ministry said that a 73-year-old man was killed by Israeli gunfire in the Jenin refugee camp, adjacent to the city.
A 27-year-old was killed also by the Israeli army gunfire in Al-Aroub camp, in the southern West Bank, the health ministry and Palestinian Red Crescent said, confirming his name as Mohammed Amjad Hadoush.
Witnesses reported a “large” deployment of Israeli forces in the morning around the towns of Tubas and Tamun, southeast of Jenin.
