Rocket firing last night: "We have reached our goals"

 

 

The Israel/Palestine conflict  

Rockets are fired after Israel leaves the West Bank  

 

Peter Schwartz

   

Updated 07:53 | Published at 06:29  

 

News  

 

Israeli troops have left the refugee camp after the attack on the city of Jenin in the West Bank.  

 

During the night of Wednesday, rocket fire was reported between Gaza and Israel. 

 

- The attack on Jenin is not a one-time event, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

 

Quick version  

 

* Israeli troops have withdrawn from the Palestinian refugee camp in the West Bank city of Jenin, following a two-day attack that has left 12 Palestinians and one Israeli dead.  

 

* The unrest continued overnight into Wednesday, with five rockets fired from Gaza into southern Israel. Later, local media reported that Israeli drone strikes hit the northern part of the Gaza Strip.  

 

* On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the Israeli soldiers "accomplished the mission" in Jenin, but warned that it was not a "one-time event".  

 

According to a defense source, Israeli forces began withdrawing from the Palestinian refugee camp in the city of Jenin on Tuesday evening, several  internationel media raports. The two-day attack on Jenin that began on Monday night has so far claimed 12 Palestinian lives and one Israeli soldier has died.  

 

According to Israeli spokesmen, no civilians had died. Islamic Jihad stated that four of the victims belonged to the group. Hamas took a victim. 

The status of the others was unclear. 140 are injured, 30 of them with life-threatening injuries, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.  

 

Explosions in Gaza during the night to Wednesday. Photo: Adel Hana / AP  

 

Devastation in Jenin after Israel's attack. Photo: Majdi Mohammed / AP  

 

Unrest continues in the region  

 

During the night of Wenesday, the unrest in the region continued when five rockets were fired from Gaza towards southern Israel. All rockets were shot down by Israeli air defense systems. No deaths were reported.  

 

Just hours later, local media reported that Israeli drone strikes hit several locations in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, according to Al-Jazeera. There were no initial reports of deaths or injuries.  

 

The announcement to leave Jenin comes hours after a car ran into several people in Tel Aviv. The driver then got out and attacked several people with a knife at a bus station before he was shot dead. 

 

 A total of eight people were injured in the attack, which Hamas claimed was a response to Israel's attack on Jenin.  

 

Operation "Home and garden" ends  

 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke about the attack in Tel Aviv and the withdrawal of Israeli soldiers. 

 

- Those who think that such an attack makes us give up our fight against terrorists are wrong, he said.  

 

He confirmed that Israeli soldiers were "complete with the mission" in Jenin, but warned that it was not a "one-off event". 

 

According to IDF spokesman and Brigadier General Daniel Hagari, the operation, called "Home and Garden", has "achieved its objectives" and all forces have left Jenin, the GLZ radio channel reports. 

 

The White House commented on the attack on Monday by saying that it "respects Israel's right to exercise self-defense but that civilian casualties must be avoided."  

 

Something Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh opposed.  

 

"It is the Palestinians who have the right to self-defense. There is no such right for an occupying power,” Shtayyeh wrote on Twitter.

 

 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the middle. Photo: Shir Torem / AP  

 

The UN and the EU were concerned about the violence  

 

The UN Security Council said it will meet behind closed doors to discuss the situation at the request of the United Arab Emirates. On Tuesday, the UN's aid organizations spoke at a press conference in Geneva.  

 

"We are concerned about the extent of the violence going on in Jenin in the occupied West Bank and that the airstrikes hit a densely populated refugee camp," said Vanessa Huguenin, spokeswoman for the UN's humanitarian department, during Tuesday.  

 

Similar concerns came from the EU, which said it was "deeply concerned about the escalation of violence".  

 

Started during Monday night  

 

The attack on Jenin began on Monday night when Israel attacked the city with drones and entered with more than 1,000 soldiers. Monday night's attack has been called the worst against Jenin in two decades.  

 

According to the Israeli army, the goal was to destroy military infrastructure and weapons in the Jenin refugee camp, reports Reuters. Israeli forces found caches of explosives, including one in a tunnel under a mosque. They confiscated 1,000 weapons and arrested 30 suspects, according to the Israeli military.  

 

The Palestinian Red Crescent said it had evacuated 500 families – about 3,000 people – from the camp.