An Israeli airstrike on a crowded neighborhood in the village of Tamoun in the northern West Bank on Wednesday killed at least 10 Palestinians, one of the single deadliest strikes in the West Bank in months. Minutes later, Israeli forces raided the city of Qalqilya and surrounding areas, escalating the military assault. Israeli troops backed by drones and fighter jets have now taken hold of all of the major districts in the north of the occupied territory.
Barely 48 hours after the “ceasefire” in Gaza came into effect on January 19, Israel announced “Operation Iron Wall,” a large-scale military operation to “defeat terrorism in Jenin.”
What began in the Jenin refugee camp has expanded to Tulkarem, Tubas, Qalqilya, Nablus, and Jericho. Dozens of homes have been destroyed and thousands of families have been forcibly displaced. In the span of 10 days, at least 37 Palestinians have been killed, including a two-year- old who was shot with a bullet to the head at home in Jenin.
A group of UN special rapporteurs released a statement this week saying the Israeli military operation in the West Bank “marks a dangerous escalation against Palestinians.”