Israel’s “Operation Home and Garden” has entered its second day. The operation is intended to take out terrorist infrastructure hidden in the Jenin refugee camp, and the IDF is doing just that.
No, this is not some temporary camp like the ones that were set up for refugees from the fighting in Ukraine in neighboring countries. It is not a place where people are forced to live in tents without running water or electricity. Like the other such camps located in the West Bank, it is basically a city. And the Jenin camp is located in the middle of the city of Jenin.
Terrorists deliberately set up a base of operations there so that they could use the fact it is called a “refugee” camp for cover. They set up a command post in a residential building surrounded by an UNRWA building, a school and a hospital in order to use the people in those facilities as human shields. They even stored munitions in a mosque and then had the audacity to complain that the IDF targeted a place of Muslim worship.
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On that matter, the IDF condemned the use of mosques by terrorists as bases of operation and in which to hide. On Monday afternoon, there was a long stand-off between Israeli forces and terrorists who did just that. Those terrorists in the end fled the mosque through a tunnel.
“Holy places, such as the Al-Nasr Mosque, should not be used as a front for terrorism,” said the IDF in a statement.
The IDF revealed that the mosque was packed with loads of ammunition, and two underground pits containing explosive devices, saying, “This is just one example of how terrorists abuse the citizens of Jenin.“
“We will continue operating until the terrorists of Jenin are no longer a threat to the stability of the area,” declared the IDF.
Also on Monday, Israeli forces destroyed control rooms used by terrorists in the Jenin refugee camp to coordinate their activities. The control rooms were equipped with communications equipment and large screens that provided live feeds from security cameras. The cameras offered the terrorists in the camp the ability to observe Israeli security forces operating there.
In another operation, an explosives laboratory in the Jenin refugee camp containing hundreds of ready-to-use IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) other types of explosives and a number of improvised types of mines intended for use against armored combat vehicles were found.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on the ongoing operation Monday night, pledging that it will continue as long as necessary to dismantle the terrorist facilities in Jenin. His remarks came while speaking at an event held at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem celebrating US Independence Day.
”In recent months, Jenin has become a city of refuge for terrorism – we are putting a stop to that,” he said.
“We are changing the equation about terrorism,” added Netanyahu. “We did this two years ago in Operation Guardians of the Walls against Hamas; we set it back a decade. We did this a few weeks ago in Operation Shield and Arrow in which we targeted senior Islamic Jihad leaders and we are doing so today in Jenin with a combination of equipment, surprise, taking forceful measures and changing the rules. This will also add to the deterrent capability of the State of Israel, both in defending against additional terrorist attacks and in changing the equation in the area.”