Israeli troops withdraw from Palestinian town in West Bank

Jenin, West Bank. Life slowly returned to Jenin, a Palestinian town in the northern West Bank that was reoccupied and was littered with rubble after Israeli forces withdrew, AFP journalists noted on Friday.

According to several residents, Israeli soldiers left the town and its refugee camp at night, after a 10-day operation in this autonomous zone, theoretically governed by the Palestinian Authority.

On August 28, Israel launched an “anti-terrorist” military operation in several Palestinian towns in the northern West Bank, including Jenin.

The Israeli army, Shin Bet — Israel’s domestic intelligence services — and border guards “have been carrying out anti-terrorist activities in the Jenin area for a week and a half,” the Israeli army said in a statement.

“As of today, 14 terrorists have been eliminated and more than 30 suspects have been arrested” in Jenin, the armed forces added, adding that “four air strikes had been carried out in the area.”

However, the army did not announce the end of its operation, called “Summer Camps,” and said it “continues to act to achieve the objectives” of the operation.

At dawn on Friday, silence reigned in the Jenin refugee camp. Shortly afterwards, many of the residents who had fled because of the fighting over the past ten days began to return.

AFP journalists were able to enter the camp without being prevented by any military checkpoints.

There, Israeli military bulldozers lifted asphalt from the streets and destroyed facades.

In front of some houses, neighbours sat silently on plastic chairs. Cranes were clearing away debris and children were playing in some streets.

Aziz Taleb, 48, a father of seven, inspected his damaged home. “Thank God, [los niños] They had left a day before [de que los soldados irrumpieran] to settle in the neighbors’ houses,” he said.

According to the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Health, 36 Palestinians aged between 13 and 82 have been killed by the Israeli army in the northern West Bank since 28 August. The army announced that one of its soldiers was killed in combat in Jenin.