Major Clash in West Bank of Israel-Palestine... "Largest Airstrike in Over 20 Years" (Comprehensive)

Israel's Ultra-Right Government Intensifies Offensive

Israel has launched a large-scale military operation in the West Bank, a long-disputed area with Palestine, causing a sharp increase in casualties. This Israeli airstrike on the West Bank is the largest in over 20 years. Since the establishment of Israel's historically ultra-right-wing government, the West Bank has become a "powder keg of the Middle East," with frequent armed conflicts.

On the 3rd (local time), Nabil Abu Rudeina, spokesperson for the Palestinian Authority (PA), strongly condemned in a statement, saying, "Israel's attack on defenseless Palestinians is a clear war crime." The PA announced that after the Israeli military launched a military operation with large forces in the Jenin refugee camp area in the northern West Bank, it would suspend all contacts and security cooperation with Israel.

The Israeli military, which began the operation at 1 a.m. that day, used drone missiles to bomb streets and buildings within the Jenin refugee camp and deployed hundreds of ground troops to engage in fierce battles with Palestinian armed groups. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) evaluated, "Israeli airstrikes on the West Bank have become more frequent this year, but the use of drones in airstrikes is very unusual."

An Israeli military official explained that the operation aimed to eliminate Palestinian armed groups within the refugee camp, which houses 17,000 residents. According to the PA Ministry of Health, at least eight people were killed during the clashes, and the number of injured exceeded 80. Since the Israeli military stated it would continue military operations as long as necessary, casualties are expected to rise further.

The Jenin area in the northern West Bank, attacked by the Israeli military that day, is known as a major hideout for Palestinian armed resistance groups opposing Israeli rule. The Israeli military deployed the largest force in over 20 years since the Palestinian armed uprising against Israeli rule in 2000 during this airstrike.

The Israeli military explained that it focused attacks on gathering places, observation posts, weapons storage, and communication center buildings used by Palestinian armed groups targeting Israel. They also added that about 20 armed group members were arrested on site, and over 100 weapons, including rockets, were seized.

[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

This attack occurred after Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power through last year's general election, forming a coalition with far-right forces. There have been forecasts that the Israel-Palestine conflict would intensify following Netanyahu's administration. Itamar Ben-Gvir, an ultra-right-wing politician who was a key figure in Netanyahu's return, is an ultra-hardline right-wing leader who has advocated for the expansion of settlements in Palestine, which the international community considers illegal, and unilateral territorial annexation.

Foreign media have observed, "Ben-Gvir has been at the forefront of supporting violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and he is expected to ultimately attempt a complete annexation of the West Bank." In fact, this year, over 140 Palestinians have died in military clashes between Israel and Palestine in the West Bank, marking the largest loss of life in history.

Israel stated that it informed the United States in advance about the plan for this large-scale West Bank operation. The White House issued a statement saying, "We are closely monitoring the situation in the West Bank" and "We support Israel's right to security and protecting its citizens."

Neighboring countries such as Jordan and Egypt quickly issued statements strongly condemning Israel's airstrikes. Sinan Majali, spokesperson for the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, criticized in a statement that "(Israel's operation) is a clear violation of international law." Tor Wennesland, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East, expressed concern on Twitter, saying, "(This situation) is very dangerous" and "An extremely unstable and unpredictable situation continues in the Israeli-occupied West Bank."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.