• Israeli military chief resigns over Oct 7 ‘failure’
• Qatari PM says Tel Aviv, Hamas must show ‘good faith’ for lasting Gaza peace

JENIN: The Israeli military said on Tuesday it had launched an operation in the occupied West Bank’s Jenin, just days after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect in the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian health ministry, based in Ram­allah, said the operation had killed nine people.

In a joint statement, the military and the Shin Bet security agency said that, alongside the Israeli Border Police, they had launched an operation dubbed “Iron Wall” in Jenin.

In a statement released shortly after the launch of the operation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netan­yahu said the raid was part of a broader strategy to counter Iran “wherever it sends its arms — in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen” and the West Bank.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said its first responders treated seven people injured by live ammunition and that Israeli forces were hindering their access to the area.

Jenin governor Kamal Abu al-Rub told AFP the operation was “an invasion of the (refugee) camp”. “It came quickly, Apache helicopters in the sky and Israeli military vehicles everywhere,” he added.

An AFP journalist said Palestinian security forces, who had been conducting an operation against armed factions in the area since early December, left some of their positions around the camp before the arrival of Israeli forces.

He reported the frequent sound of explosions and gunfire echoing from the camp.

The spokesman for the Palestinian security forces, Anwar Rajab, said in a statement that Israeli forces had “opened fire on civilians and security forces, resulting in injuries to several civilians and a number of security personnel, one of whom is in critical condition”.

Jenin’s governor said that several bulldozers had entered the city on Tuesday.

Resignation

The head of Israel’s military, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, resigned on Tuesday over his responsibility for its “failure” during the Palestinian group Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023.

In his resignation letter, released by the army, Halevi said he was leaving “due to my acknowledgement of responsibility for the (military’s) failure on October 7”. He said he was leaving at a time of “significant successes” for the military, though he also said that “not all” of Israel’s war goals had been achieved.

Major General Yaron Finkelman, the head of Israel’s southern military command, which is responsible for Gaza, also resigned.

‘Good faith’

Meanwhile, Qatar’s PM said on Tuesday that a lasting peace in Gaza would depend on Israel and Hamas acting in “good faith”, days into a fragile truce in the Palestinian territory mediated by the Gulf state.

“If they are embarking in this in good faith, this will last and hopefully will lead to phase two, will lead to a permanent ceasefire,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani told the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Published in Dawn, December 22nd, 2024