(Ynet News) Elisha Ben Kimon - Until a few months ago, IDF forces entering Jenin in northern Samaria suffered explosives, firebombs and constant riots. One of the commanders I spoke with at the time described it as "Lebanon in the heart of Israel." Since Oct. 7, more than 100 wanted persons were arrested, 60 terrorists were killed and 50 weapons were confiscated in 16 operations in Jenin. On a recent tour, Judea and Samaria Brigade Commander Brig.-Gen. Avi Bluth showed me the Ibn Sina Hospital in Jenin. Armed terrorists from the Jenin refugee camp are fleeing to the hospital in ambulances and hiding among the patients, using the patients as human shields. A few weeks ago, IDF forces captured a wanted man in an ambulance at the entrance to the hospital. This week, 1,400 soldiers, predominantly reservists, moved between the camp's alleys, detained hundreds of suspects, searched for hiding places, detonated tunnel shafts, and dismantled terrorist infrastructure. A security official said, "Today's Jenin is not like what it was before.... Infantry soldiers move here relatively easily and we work, going from area to area and cleaning it....The houses are empty, 80% of the residents here left already a few weeks ago. They realized that we are operating here with great force....They express resentment at the mess the terrorists cause here. They want us to work here. The IDF is forced to work in the camp simply because the Palestinian Authority is unable." "We are pushing the terrorists out," said Battalion Commander Lt.-Col. Tomer Brock. "We have a special [reservist] battalion made up of all types of people from Israeli society. They all dropped everything on Oct. 7 and just came here without a summons and without anyone telling them. We understood very quickly the severity of the situation and since then we have been here with the exception of a few visits at home. Morale is through the roof."
2023-12-15 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive