Palestinians ordered to evacuate in Jenin
Hundreds of Palestinians have fled the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank after Israeli troops issued eviction orders during day three of a raid, The National reported on January 23rd.
Palestinian news agency Wafa reported the operation had resulted in at least 12 deaths and around 40 people suffering injuries.
Jenin governor Kamal Abu Al Rub told AFP: “Hundreds of camp residents have begun leaving after the Israeli army, using loudspeakers on drones and military vehicles, ordered them to evacuate the camp.”
The orders follow a warning issued by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, which described the camp as “almost uninhabitable.”
Varsen Aghabekian, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, cautioned against allowing the conflict to spread into the occupied West Bank, noting the potential for devastating regional consequences. “The West Bank is extremely volatile, it’s very dangerous,” she said, adding that settlers were “creating havoc” while recent crackdowns by the Palestinian Authority and Israeli operations have also taken place in the area.
“If we transfer what has happened in Gaza to the West Bank, I think this means total chaos,” Aghabekian said to reporters during the World Economic Forum in Davos.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society has said its medics have been giving emergency medical care to those who are wounded in Jenin and is assisting with the evacuation people who are trapped during the ongoing military activity. On January 23rd, the society also said that an elderly man who had been shot in the camp by Israeli forces was suffering injuries.
Israeli soldiers enforced a siege on the camp, removing entry points and installing facial recognition devices, which residents were forced to pass through. Additionally, bulldozers destroyed the main road leading to Jenin Government Hospital, hindering ambulance access for those needing urgent medical care.
The National via Wafa.
