Israel Seeks to Fortify West Bank Occupation Amid Ongoing Raids
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - The Israeli regime's recent military operations in the occupied West Bank are being viewed by Palestinian sources as efforts to fortify its occupation, with ongoing raids causing significant casualties and destruction in areas like Jenin.
The raids, which have resulted in numerous casualties, are part of the largest Israeli offensive in the region in decades.
Israel's recent military offensive in the occupied West Bank is being described by Palestinian reporters as an effort to reinforce its occupation rather than a counterterrorism operation, as claimed by Israeli authorities.
"They want to make their occupation stronger so that in the long run, they can take over the West Bank and turn it into part of the Israeli state, which we’re already seeing," Leila Warah, a Palestinian reporter, told Al Jazeera.
Warah added that despite the aggressive military tactics, which Israel says are aimed at suppressing Palestinian resistance, the strategy is unlikely to succeed.
"It just creates more resistance, more people coming forward and resisting … these are very young Palestinian men with very limited resources who are desperate to not be living under occupation," she explained.
Israel's raids, which have been ongoing for more than a week, have resulted in the deaths of at least 33 Palestinians, including children, and have left dozens more wounded. The operations have been particularly intense in the city of Jenin, where Israeli forces have been causing widespread destruction.
Khairi Hannoun, a resident of the West Bank, has been actively demonstrating against the Israeli incursions by waving Palestinian flags in front of bulldozers and atop the rubble of destroyed homes.
Jenin has been under siege for around a week, with residents witnessing the systematic destruction of their streets and infrastructure by Israeli forces. Many in the city are now struggling with shortages of food, water, and medicine.
The Israeli military's assault, the largest in the occupied territories since the second Intifada in the early 2000s, has been carried out alongside a devastating campaign in Gaza, further exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the region.
The Israeli assault, which began in the early hours of August 28, included hundreds of ground forces backed up by fighter jets and drones. The occupation forces have razed significant portions of Jenin, including key streets and areas near al-Shifa Hospital, as well as commercial zones like Cinema Roundabout and Post Street.
According to Wafa, two photojournalists were shot and wounded by Israeli soldiers in Kafr Dan during the ongoing violence.
