Israel continues military offensive in West Bank – at least 9 dead Stolen from a temple: Switzerland returns part of a statue of Ramses to Egypt

The Israeli army continued its military offensive in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday night. At least nine people have been killed in airstrikes and fighting on the ground, the Palestinian health ministry said. About 100 other Palestinians were injured, 20 of them critically.

At least one of the dead is said to be a Palestinian militant. The army entered the Palestinian city of Jenin on Monday night and began its first major offensive in about 20 years. They say they confiscated weapons and explosives and arrested several suspects.

Palestinian media reported Monday evening that the Israeli army had ordered the Palestinians to leave the Jenin refugee camp. Images online showed that many people poured out of their homes. However, according to Israeli media reports, Israeli security officials denied that such an evacuation order had been issued. Accordingly, thousands of people have fled the fighting.

The densely populated city of Jenin and the accompanying refugee camp with about 17,000 inhabitants is considered a stronghold of militant Palestinians. The various groups are mainly funded by Iran, an archenemy of the State of Israel.

“In recent months, Jenin has become a haven for terrorism, from which insidious attacks have been carried out against Israeli men, women and children,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a speech Monday evening. “Israeli soldiers are doing everything they can to avoid killing civilians, while Israel is doing everything it can to exercise its right of self-defense.” The goal is to get rid of all those “who want to destroy our country”. The military offensive will last as long as it takes “to accomplish the mission,” Netanyahu told Israeli media.

After a meeting of its leaders on Monday evening, the Palestinian Authority reiterated that it would no longer cooperate with Israel on security issues. The autonomy authority had made similar announcements on previous occasions, but they were not actually implemented. Both sides exchange intelligence to prevent terrorist attacks and to coordinate major operations in areas solely controlled by the Palestinian Authority. It is also intended to prevent militant groups from gaining the upper hand in this area.

The security situation in Israel and in the Palestinian territories has been tense for a long time, but recently violence has increased again. More than two dozen people have been killed in attacks by Palestinians since the beginning of the year. During the same period, more than 140 Palestinians were killed in violent confrontations, Israeli military operations or after their own attacks.

Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War. The Palestinians claim the areas as part of their own state. However, a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict that has been going on for decades seems far away. (sda/dpa)