Palestinians in Jenin shouting at Mahmoud Aloul to leave
During a funeral held in Jenin on Wednesday for the terrorists killed during the IDF’s counterterrorism operation in the Palestinian city’s refugee camp.
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Mahmoud Aloul, considered the number two in Fatah and deputy to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, also arrived and was ousted by the crowd, while they cheered for Jenin’s armed terrorists.
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Mahmoud Aloul, deputy to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, was ousted from the terrorists' funeral
Twelve terrorists were killed in the operation that ended late Tuesday. However, this may not be the final number of causalities since 20 others also were critically injured. Aloul, who attended the funeral, is considered one of the Fatah movement’s firebrands. In the past, he has publicly supported armed resistance against Israel, unlike Abbas.
The Jenin Brigade, a local terror organization consisting of Islamic Jihad, Hamas and former Fatah members, fought against IDF forces as part of the operation, whose goal was to put an end to Jenin's status as a "terrorist haven."
With the start of the operation, Palestinian security members, associated with Fatah, were asked to leave Jenin. Abbas later announced the suspension of the Palestinian Authority’s security coordination with Israel due to the operation.
Following the operation’s end, the IDF said it believed the symbol of the Jenin refugee camp as successful armed resistance has been "broken," after many members of terror organizations fled the area, escaping clashes with security forces.
The military is troubled by the significant quantity of explosive charges it discovered at the camp - around 1,000, and expressed discomfort about the possibility of the phenomenon spreading to other sectors in the West Bank after years where deterrence kept terror groups from creating and using them.
At the same time, the military also acknowledges that most Palestinians have remained indifferent to the events in Jenin and have not participated in demonstrations or widespread riots.
"This operation doesn’t solve the issue of terror in Jenin, and we will need more operations like this according to developments in the area,” the IDF said in a statement. "There are still more terrorists that need to be apprehended in the refugee camp. Large forces will stay under Central Command in the coming days."
After five rockets were launched at Israel from Gaza Tuesday night, the army determined that it was not ordered by Hamas, and that Islamic Jihad likely ordered the launch. Nevertheless, the IDF chose to respond by targeting terror targets in Gaza belonging to Hamas.
Meanwhile, reconstruction efforts are underway in Jenin as well. Many roads were destroyed to thwart terrorists placing explosive charges, and electricity, water and sewage infrastructure were also affected.
Jenin municipal field teams and private companies have begun reconstruction, but the city is still unable to estimate the cost of the damage.
Palestinian Local Government Minister, Majdi al-Saleh, said that field teams are making every possible effort to ensure the return of basic services to residents, including water, electricity and communication.
Al-Saleh requested the help of city authorities and neighboring municipalities to work on infrastructure repairs and road clearing. Jenin Governor Akram Rajoub said that based on Abbas’ instructions, authorities have started working in the area.
A coordination center has been established in Jenin to monitor the work and deliver a timeline for the reconstruction’s completion.
Despite the extensive destruction, Hamas claimed Wednesday that the Jenin camp and the resistance within it have triumphed over the IDF.
"Once again, Jenin defeated the occupation’s army," Hazem Kassem, Hamas’ spokesperson, said. "We declared the occupation would not achieve its goals against the camp, and the Zionist enemy has left the camp without any achievements despite its brutality. The Jenin camp will remain a fortress of resistance against the occupation."
According to Kassem, the terrorist who executed the terror attack in Tel Aviv, Abed al-Wahab Khalila, was a member of Hamas. "One of the expressions of support in Jenin was the attack in Tel Aviv," Kassem added.