Israeli forces withdraw from Jenin after 10 days of violence, Palestinian media report

Shafaq News/ Israeli forces withdrew from the city of Jenin early Friday after ten days of aggression, according to Palestinian media.

The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported, "Israeli occupation forces withdrew from the city of Jenin and its camp at dawn today, following ten days of intense and continuous aggression that claimed the lives of dozens and left many injured, causing widespread destruction."

Residents expressed concerns that the Israeli forces might return to raid the city and camp again, as they have done in the past after retreating to nearby military checkpoints.

In an earlier report, WAFA noted that Israeli forces had also pulled out from the vicinity of Jenin Governmental Hospital and Ibn Sina Hospital just after midnight. Eyewitnesses told WAFA that Israeli military vehicles withdrew from the gate of the Hospital and the Rayyan building behind it, which soldiers had used as a base for operations over the last ten days.

The vehicles also left their positions outside the emergency gate of Ibn Sina Hospital, which had been under siege since the first day of the offensive.

According to WAFA, the Israeli assault on Jenin, described as the bloodiest and most severe since 2002, left 21 people dead, including children and older people, while several others were seriously wounded.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) expressed alarm over the violence in the West Bank. In a post on X, it said, "As the war rages in Gaza, violence and destruction in the West Bank increase by the hour."

The agency added, " The past week was the deadliest for Palestinian civilians in the West Bank since November last year. Many people were killed, including seven children."

UNRWA concluded by stating, " This is unacceptable. It must stop now."

In a statement on Facebook, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry accused Israel of extending its brutal destruction from the Gaza Strip to the occupied West Bank, citing the situation in the cities of Jenin and Tulkarm, as well as their refugee camps, as evidence.

Since October 7, at least 680 people have been killed, including more than 155 children. More than 5,700 people also were wounded in the West Bank.