Israeli Forces Accuse Palestinian Gunmen of Turning Mosque into “Fortified” Hideout
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have accused Palestinian gunmen in the West Bank city of Jenin of transforming a mosque into a “fortified” hideout, complete with an underground tunnel and a cache of weapons. Israeli forces gained control of the al-Ansari mosque on Monday afternoon, following a shootout with Palestinian gunmen during a major counterterrorism operation against the Jenin refugee camp.
The IDF stated that they carried out a drone strike against the armed Palestinians outside the mosque and later managed to break in. On the ground floor, troops discovered two tunnel openings that were connected. Inside the tunnels and scattered across the mosque, explosives, weapons, and other military equipment were found. Footage released by the army showed sandbags and stones piled up across the ground floor, indicating the fortification of the mosque.
Lt. Col. “Mem,” the commander of the elite Egoz unit, stated that the excavation work in the mosque had turned it into a fortified site. He also mentioned that the fortification and tunnel digging likely took the gunmen a long time to carry out. The equipment was seized, the weapons were destroyed, and the tunnel was rendered inoperable, according to the IDF.
The military operation in Jenin is set to continue on Tuesday, following a mostly uneventful night where Palestinian gunmen chose not to fight Israeli forces. This potentially signals an approaching end to the campaign, now in its second day. Israel launched the major operation to crack down on what it says is a hotbed of terror in the city. The IDF’s operation has focused on a local wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group known as the Jenin Battalion, as well as other smaller armed groups in the city and refugee camp.
Over 1,000 IDF troops were involved in the campaign, making it the largest in the West Bank in about 20 years. Palestinian health officials reported that ten people were killed and at least 100 others were wounded, including 20 in serious condition, during Israeli airstrikes and clashes with Israeli forces the previous day. The IDF stated that all of the slain Palestinians were involved in the fighting, but there were some noncombatants among the wounded.
The IDF believes there were around 300 Palestinian gunmen in the Jenin refugee camp, with intelligence on the identities of at least 160 armed Palestinians. Some 3,000 Palestinians evacuated the Jenin refugee camp on Monday night to escape the fighting, although the IDF said it had not ordered an evacuation and that there was no closure on Jenin.
The military operation began with a series of airstrikes against multiple targets in the city, including a joint war room shared by various armed groups. Throughout the campaign, the IDF located and demolished weapon storage sites, explosives labs, war rooms used by Palestinian gunmen, and other “terror infrastructure.” Troops also clashed with armed Palestinians and carried out drone strikes against various targets in the refugee camp.
The IDF has referred to the operation as “Bayit Vegan,” meaning Home and Garden, a reference to Jenin’s biblical name. However, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit has insisted that the operation has no official name. The military appeared to downplay the scale of the campaign by not giving it a name, with IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari calling it a “brigade-level raid.”
The northern West Bank, particularly the city of Jenin and its environs, has long been considered a hotbed of terrorism by the IDF. This is highlighted by a string of attacks in early 2022, many of which were carried out by residents of the area. Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians have been high across the West Bank, with the military conducting near-nightly raids amid a series of deadly Palestinian terror attacks. Since the beginning of this year, Palestinian attacks in Israel and the West Bank have killed 24 people.
What are the reasons behind the Israeli military’s use of drones in the ongoing operation in Jenin and how does this reflect their strategy in combating terrorist activity in the area
Es with Palestinian gunmen. The IDF, however, stated that only armed militants were targeted in the operation.
The use of a mosque as a fortified hideout by Palestinian gunmen has drawn condemnation from Israeli authorities. They argue that this tactic shows a disregard for the sanctity of religious sites and a manipulation of religious spaces for militant purposes.
The Israeli military has faced criticism in the past for targeting mosques during operations, with Palestinian officials accusing them of disrespecting holy sites. However, the IDF maintains that they only strike such locations when they are being used for military purposes and pose a threat to Israeli forces. The use of a mosque as a hideout provides a unique challenge for Israeli soldiers, as they must balance their need to neutralize the threat with the potential for religious sensitivities.
The ongoing operation in Jenin is part of wider efforts by the Israeli military to root out terrorist activity in the area. It comes in response to a recent increase in violence, including rocket attacks against Israeli communities and other acts of terrorism.
The IDF’s use of drones in this operation highlights their growing reliance on unmanned aerial vehicles for surveillance and targeted strikes. Drones provide military forces with enhanced situational awareness and the capability to strike targets from a distance, minimizing the risk to Israeli soldiers.
As the operation in Jenin continues, there is hope that the situation will be resolved peacefully and the threat of terrorism in the area will be significantly reduced. Israel will likely continue to monitor and target militant groups operating in the city, in order to maintain security and protect its citizens from future attacks.
This discovery highlights the alarming tactics employed by Palestinian gunmen, transforming a religious site into a fortified hideout. The existence of an underground tunnel further exemplifies the need for heightened security measures in the region.
This article highlights the alarming and concerning developments of Palestinian gunmen using a mosque as a fortified hideout and the discovery of an underground tunnel by the IDF. These actions not only compromise the sanctity of religious spaces but also pose a serious threat to the security and stability of the region. Urgent attention and action must be taken to address such dangerous tactics.