Israeli forces raid West Bank's Jenin for the first time since deadly July assault

Three Palestinian men have been detained by the Israeli army during a raid on Monday in Jenin in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli forces stormed the city and its refugee camp to apprehend the suspects, who they accuse of firing at Israeli forces, setting off explosive devices, and launching improvised rockets.

The Palestinian men, all three of whom are alleged to be members of Hamas, are now in the custody of Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service.

The raid was undertaken by an Israeli military force comprised of 40 vehicles, an attack helicopter and several drones.

Jenin |

An Israeli suicidal drone exploded above a Palestinian fighter in the refugee camp. The drone missed its target. pic.twitter.com/0IrSv8kTgE

— Younis Tirawi | يونس (@ytirawi) September 4, 2023

During the assault, four Palestinian residents were lightly injured by army gunfire, while a Palestinian man in his thirties is being treated in a Haifa hospital with serious injuries.

Israel blocked off roads, allegedly impeding ambulances and medics from reaching some of the wounded. 

No Israeli soldiers were injured, but Palestinians claim to have downed one Israeli drone. Some media claimed this was a suicide drone used by Israel to target alleged gunmen in the city. Neither claim can be verified. 

This marks the first time that the Israeli army has operated in Jenin since the deadly assault on the camp in July, when drone attacks and a ground incursion killed 12 Palestinian civilians and left over 100 wounded. It was the deadliest and most extensive West Bank raid by Israeli forces in 20 years.  

Amid a wave of deadly Israeli raids across the West Bank, 70 Palestinians have been killed in Jenin alone in 2023.