Israel’s army has begun withdrawing its troops from Jenin in the occupied West Bank about two days after the start of the large-scale military operation. The first soldiers left the city late Tuesday evening, the military said. However, it is still unclear how long the withdrawal of all forces will last. According to the army, the aim of the operation was to smash the “terrorist infrastructure” of Islamist extremists.
According to Palestinian reports, fierce gun battles broke out with armed residents as the withdrawal began. Videos posted on social media showed explosive devices being thrown at a column of military vehicles.
An Israeli soldier was killed by gunfire on Wednesday evening, the army said during the night. On the Israeli side, he is the first casualty since the beginning of the military offensive. On the other side, at least 12 Palestinians were killed and more than 100 injured.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had already indicated in the afternoon that the mission would end soon. “In these moments we complete the mission,” Netanyahu said, according to media reports, during a visit to a military post near Jenin. At the same time, he emphasized that the action was “not a one-off process, we will continue as long as necessary”.
On Monday night, Israel began one of the largest military operations in the West Bank in decades. After several air strikes, the army moved into the Palestinian city of Jenin with around a thousand soldiers. There, the military fought fierce exchanges of fire with armed residents.
According to the army, several command centers, weapons storage facilities, weapon production facilities and suspects’ hideouts were destroyed. In addition, 30 suspects were arrested.