Israeli army besieges Jenin in West Bank

Dozens of Israeli soldiers were stationed on the outskirts of the Jenin refugee camp, Al Jazeera Arabic reported on Saturday, with Israeli military bulldozers and armoured carriers also seen.

Israeli forces blew up homes in the Jabriyat neighbourhood of the camp as they extended their largest military assault on Palestinian territory in more than 20 years.

Palestinian residents continue to plea to have access to food, water and paramedics, all of whom are being obstructed from entry into the refugee camp. This is day four, and the residents of the refugee camp have pretty much no access to any outside help.

Several gun battles between Palestinian fighters and Israeli soldiers have been reported in Jenin.

The armed wing of Hamas said its members have “engaged in armed clashes” with Israeli soldiers in the village of Kafr Dan, which is located in the west of the West Bank city.

Israeli troops, along with armoured vehicles, drones and bulldozers, on Wednesday launched simultaneous raids in Jenin, Tulkarem and Tubas.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said an “elderly man” was killed in Jenin, without specifying his age, bringing the total death toll from the military raids to 20.

Palestinian residents say that the trail of destruction left behind by the military incursion – which has destroyed infrastructure, roads, water and electricity facilities – suggests that the army’s goal is to make the territory inhabitable and push Palestinians out of their homes.

In the south of the West Bank, tensions ratcheted up after Israeli troops shot dead two Palestinians suspected of attempting to attack Israelis in two separate incidents late on Friday.

The situation in Hebron – the largest district of the territory where about one million people live – was particularly tense, as Israeli forces set up several checkpoint.

The continuing raids are the largest and most violent since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza. The parallel conflict unfolding in the West Bank has killed about 670 Palestinians, according to reports.

The number of detentions since the beginning of the West Bank assault has risen to about 70, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society and the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs.