Israeli troops begin leaving Jenin camp, hours after Palestinian attacker wounds 8 in Tel Aviv
CTV
The Israeli military began withdrawing troops from a militant stronghold in the occupied West Bank late Tuesday, security officials said, winding down an intense two-day operation that killed at least 12 Palestinians, confiscated hundreds of weapons and left a wide swath of damage in its wake.
The Israeli military began withdrawing troops from a militant stronghold in the occupied West Bank late Tuesday, security officials said, winding down an intense two-day operation that killed at least 12 Palestinians, confiscated hundreds of weapons and left a wide swath of damage in its wake.
But heavy fighting between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants continued in parts of the Jenin refugee camp, delaying the planned pullout.
The development came hours after a Hamas militant rammed his car into a crowded Tel Aviv bus stop and began stabbing people, wounding eight, including a pregnant woman who reportedly lost her baby. The attacker was killed by an armed bystander. Hamas said the attack was revenge for the Israeli offensive.
Visiting a military post outside Jenin, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated the operation, one of the most intense in the territory in nearly two decades, was nearing its end. But he vowed to carry out similar operations in the future.
"At these moments we are completing the mission, and I can say that our extensive operation in Jenin is not a one-off," he said.
The Israeli military said it carried out an airstrike late Tuesday targeting a militant cell located in a cemetery. It said the gunmen threatened forces moving out of the camp. There was no immediate word on casualties.
Israeli and Palestinian officials also reported fighting near a hospital in Jenin late Tuesday. An Associated Press reporter on the ground could hear explosions and the sound of gunfire. Palestinian hospital officials told the official Wafa news agency that three civilians were hit by Israeli fire.
