Thousands of Palestinians streamed out of the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank on Monday night to escape fighting as Israeli forces push aheadwith a major anti-terror operation launched almost 24 hours earlier.
The Palestinian Red Crescent emergency services group said 3,000 people had been evacuated from a densely populated quarter of the city.
“There are about 3,000 people who have left the camp so far,” Jenin deputy governor Kamal Abu al-Roub told AFP, adding that arrangements were being made to house them in schools and other shelters in the city of Jenin. He said about 18,000 Palestinians reside in the camp.
Juliette Touma, spokeswoman for the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, confirmed to AFP that residents of the camp were leaving.
Footage released by Palestinian media showed crowds walking out of Jenin, some moving past Israeli military vehicles.
Palestinian media reports also said the Israeli military was deploying reinforcements to Jenin. In footage shared online, a large convoy of army vehicles, including bulldozers, were seen entering the area Monday evening.
Israeli officials denied ordering an evacuation after Palestinian media said the IDF had instructed residents to leave the area. The IDF’s Arabic language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, said the evacuation reports were baseless.
Security officials told the Ynet news site that the Israel Defense Forces did not issue an evacuation order, and that the Jenin residents were fleeing to escape the fighting. Hundreds of armed terrorists were holed up in the refugee camp, the officials said, stoking fears among residents they could be caught in the crossfire.
Israel launched the major operation early Monday to crack down on what it says is a hotbed of terror in the city. A number of attacks on Israelis in recent years have been carried out by Palestinians from the area, and observers say the Palestinian Authority has little control on the ground.
Today is the 47th anniversary of the Entebbe Raid (July 4, 1976). I was in Philadelphia for the bicentennial celebration when my family received the news. Another Israeli miltary success, this time against Idi Amin Dada. Sadly, the current PM lost his brother.
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