At least eight Palestinians were killed and dozens of people were wounded in an Israeli strike against a militant stronghold in the occupied West Bank on Monday, according to officials.
Israel struck the targets with drones and deployed hundreds of troops to the area in a major military operation, killing eight and wounding 50 people — 10 critically — the Palestinian Health Ministry said.
“Our Palestinian people will not kneel, will not surrender, will not raise the white flag, and will remain steadfast on their land in the face of this brutal aggression,” said Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in a statement.
Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, an Israeli army spokesman, said the forces are “not planning to hold ground,” but are aiming to destroy and confiscate weapons.
Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said on Telegram they’re “operating in a focused counterterrorism operation” at a camp allegedly occupied by terrorists in the city of Jenin.
Israeli troops had pushed inside the Jenin refugee camp Monday, without an indication of when the action would cease.
Ahead of the operation, IDF posted a video arguing the Jenin camp is a “hotspot for terrorism” and a main base for multiple terrorist organizations for the manufacturing of weapons and distribution of weapons.
According to the video, the IDF is pushing to eliminate the terrorist infrastructure in the camp in the military operation, the largest Israeli campaign in the West Bank in nearly two decades.
Some videos shared online showed Israeli forces destroying streets in Jenin, which Palestinian health authorities say are impeding the assistance of ambulances and emergency vehicles.
Violence between militant groups and Israeli forces has soared this year in apparent tit-for-tat exchanges. Israel last month also launched mass air strikes in Gaza targeting the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group after rocket strikes from the terrorist group.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has led a hardline coalition in his country that has sparked fear of more violence between Israel and Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The Associated Press contributed.