The death toll in Israel’s two-day long attack on Jenin in the West Bank rose to 12 by Wednesday, after Israeli troops withdrew from the Palestinian city.
Four of the 12 fatalities were members of the group Islamic Jihad, while another was claimed by Hamas. Status of the remaining persons is unclear. Around 100 people have been injured in the attack, with 20 in serious condition.
Around 150 people were detained.
Israeli authorities said the operation targeted militant infrastructure and weapons in the refugee camp in the city, where 14,000 people live in an area smaller than half a square kilometre, Reuters reported. The attack started with a drone strike and some 1,000 Israeli soldiers were deployed.
Around 5,000 people were eventually evacuated from the Jenin refugee camp.
While Israeli military convoys were seen leaving the city on Tuesday after dark, explosions continued in the West Bank as locals reported gunfire near a hospital.
Israeli forces fired tear gas into a hospital, Doctors Without Borders announced, based on reports from their members.
“I can say that our extensive activity in Jenin is not a one-time operation,” Reuters cited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu as saying.
Following the withdrawal, Israel reported rockets fired from the Gaza Strip. The rockets were shot down and no casualties were reported, according to Reuters.
Military targets in Beit Lahia and Gaza were hit by further Israeli airstrikes, which the Israeli Defence Forces said were in response to five rockets fired from the strip and targeted a weapons manufacturing facility.
