IOF raid Qabatiya amid a wave of destruction and arrests

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies + Al Mayadeen
24 Jan 2025 12:01
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Palestinian Resistance forces in the occupied West Bank continue to confront Israeli forces amid a new day of intense confrontations.

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Medics evacuate a wounded man during an Israeli military operation in the West Bank city of Jenin, on Tuesday, January 21, 2025. (AP)

Armed confrontations broke out between Palestinian Resistance fighters and Israeli occupation forces, accompanied by the sound of explosions in the town of Qabatiya, south of Jenin, amid intense drone overflights in the area, Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in the occupied West Bank reported.

Our correspondent added that Israeli forces surrounded a house in the town, fired Energa grenades at it, and raided nearby homes. Invading Israeli units also turned the area around the Jenin refugee camp into a staging ground for operations targeting Qabatiya and Ya’bad.

In a related development, our correspondent reported that Israeli forces arrested a Palestinian youth from Qabatiya, south of Jenin, before withdrawing from the area.

Earlier, the invading Israeli units deployed additional reinforcements to Qabatiya while an Apache helicopter hovered overhead. Simultaneously, they began destroying infrastructure at the entrance of al-Yamun, northwest of Jenin.

At dawn, IOF launched widespread raids across various parts of the West Bank, detaining several Palestinians amid confrontations in multiple areas.

The Prisoners' Media Office reported that Israeli forces detained 10 Palestinians in al-Quds and two others in Tulkarm and Jenin.

Last night, the Israeli occupation intensified its siege on Jenin and its refugee camp after setting several homes on fire and forcing residents to evacuate by firing at houses.

Meanwhile, Resistance fighters confronted the invading Israeli units in the streets of the Jenin refugee camp during the night.

This comes as the Israeli occupation has further tightened its grip on the West Bank by maintaining 898 military checkpoints.

Jaradat to Al Mayadeen: 'Israel' aims to neutralize Jenin Battalion

Palestinian writer Mohammed Jaradat told Al Mayadeen that the Israeli military campaign in Jenin is the most extensive, noting that "Israel is betting on achieving its goal of neutralizing the Jenin Battalion."

In an exclusive interview for Al Mayadeen, Jaradat emphasized that Tel Aviv seeks to destroy the Jenin refugee camp, adding that the raid conducted by the Israeli military chief of staff and the head of Shin Bet into the camp yesterday is part of an Israeli media campaign.

He argued that "everything happening in Jenin indicates that the occupation is attempting to compensate for its failure in Gaza."

The commander of the al-Quds Brigades in the West Bank previously asserted that what the Resistance will reveal at the end of the battle "will prove that the image of victory the enemy failed to achieve in Gaza will not be attained in the West Bank."

He added, "Since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on Jenin, our fighters have continued to ambush IOF and military vehicles in ambushes."

Time has come for the West Bank: Shin Bet chief

Israeli drones fitted with loudspeakers ordered people to leave their homes in Jenin on Thursday, residents said, as the military demolished several houses during the third day of a major operation in the West Bank city.

Israeli officials said the operations targeted Resistance groups in the refugee camp adjacent to the city. "We need to be prepared to continue in the Jenin camp that will bring it to a different place," Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, head of the Israeli occupation forces, said in a statement.

Armored bulldozers have torn up roads and hundreds of residents have fled their homes in the camp after being ordered to evacuate.

"Yesterday, we did not want to leave; we were at home," said 16-year-old Hussam Saadi. "Today, they sent down a drone to our neighborhood, telling us to leave the camp and that they will blow it up."

The raid, the third major operation by the Israeli military in Jenin in less than two years, has drawn international concern. France and Jordan have issued warnings against further escalation in the West Bank, an area that has experienced increased violence since the outset of the war on Gaza.

Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that the head of the Israeli Shin Bet security agency and the chief of staff conducted an evaluation of the situation in Jenin amid intensified Israeli aggression. The head of Shin Bet was quoted as saying, "The time for the West Bank has come."

The Israeli forces are currently carrying out widespread arrests in Jenin, Ya’bad, and Qabatiya. The correspondent highlighted concerns among observers that the military operation could expand from Jenin to other parts of the West Bank, potentially leading to a larger-scale escalation.

According to the correspondent, the Israeli occupation forces appear determined to evacuate residents from the Jenin refugee camp to carry out their military objectives.