Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 12:39, 22 January 2025

Iron Wall
Part of the Israeli incursions in the West Bank during the Israel–Hamas war
Date 21 January 2025 – present Location Jenin, West Bank, Palestine Result Ongoing
Belligerents
Israel	Palestinian Islamic Jihad  Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades	Palestinian Authority
Units involved
Israel Defense Forces  Israeli Ground Forces  Israeli Air Force Israeli Police Israeli Border Police Israeli Intelligence Community Shin Bet	Jenin Brigades	Palestinian Security Services
Casualties and losses
Unknown	7+ militants killed	Several security services personnel killed
2+ Palestinian civilians killed

On 21 January 2025, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a major raid into Jenin in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The Israeli operation, titled "Iron Wall", is targeting the Jenin Brigades, a local Palestinian militia. The IDF stated that the aims of the operation are to preserve its "freedom of action” in the West Bank, to neutralize militant infrastructure, and to eliminate imminent threats. It is expected to last several days.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation was an action against the "Iranian axis", referring to the Iranian support of West Bank militants, and Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said it marked the start of a campaign to protect Israeli settlements in the occupied region.

The start of the operation abruptly interrupted and ended a previous operation in Jenin by the Palestinian Authority (PA), whose forces withdrew from their positions as the IDF began the raid. The IDF likely felt that the PA's actions against militants were insufficient and chose to launch its own incursion.

Background

The Israeli operation followed several related developments in the region. On 19 January, the Israel–Hamas war ceasefire was implemented, halting fighting in the Gaza Strip. On 20 January, American president Donald Trump was inaugurated for the second time and later issued an executive order rescinding sanctions against some Israeli settlers and settler groups accused of anti-Palestinian violence in the West Bank. That same day, a mob of Israeli settlers raided several Palestinian towns in protest against the Gaza ceasefire, until being dispersed by the IDF.

In Jenin specifically, the security services of the PA had been conducting an operation against the Jenin Brigades since December 2024. Both sides signed a truce on 17 January 2025, but the deal fell through and fighting resumed two days later. The IDF initiated its raid due to the PA's operation eventually being deemed insufficient, according to The Jerusalem Post.

Timeline

21 January

The raid began with drone strikes on militant infrastructure, and large numbers of IDF troops, including special forces, as well as Shin Bet agents and Border Police officers were deployed into Jenin. Palestinian sources also reported the participation of Israeli warplanes and armored vehicles, including bulldozers.”

Palestinian Authority forces withdrew from their positions in Jenin as the IDF entered the city. According to the PA, the Israeli operation caught them by surprise and members of its forces were killed by Israeli fire.

The IDF encircled Al-Amal, a local private hospital.

Reactions

Hamas issued a statement calling for “people in the West Bank and its revolutionary youth to mobilize and escalate the clash with the occupation army at all points of contact with it.”

Notes

1. Like most of the other Palestinian militias in the West Bank, the Jenin Brigades are semi-autonomous and "cross-factional", simultaneously shared among the Al-Quds Brigades of PIJ, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, and the Al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas.
2. The PA autonomously governs the West Bank's Palestinian enclaves and is also in conflict with local militias.

References

This article has not been added to any content categories. Please help out by adding categories to it so that it can be listed with similar articles. (January 2025)

1. "The Resurgence of Armed Groups in the West Bank and Their Connections to Gaza". ACLED. 2023-12-14.
2. "With eye on Gaza, Palestinian Authority tackles West Bank militants". Christian Science Monitor. 2025-01-10. ISSN 0882-7729.
3. "West Bank Dispatch: Israeli army turns attention to Balata amid continuing killing spree". Mondoweiss. 2022-11-14.
4. ^ "As fighting in Gaza stops, Israel launches major military campaign in West Bank". CNN. 2025-01-21. Retrieved 2025-01-21.
5. ^ "Israel launches massive Jenin operation to root out terrorists". i24NEWS. 21 January 2025. Retrieved 2025-01-21.
6. ^ "Israel launches major offensive in Jenin days after Gaza ceasefire". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2025-01-21.
7. ^ Fabian, Emanuel (21 January 2025). "IDF says Jenin operation expected to last several days". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2025-01-21.
8. ^ "IDF launches Operation Iron Wall against Palestinian terror in Jenin as PA exits". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2025-01-21. Retrieved 2025-01-21.
9. ^ "Israel launches 'significant' military operation in West Bank, at least eight Palestinians killed". Reuters. 21 January 2025.
10. ^ Kershner, Isabel; AbdulKarim, Fatima (2025-01-21). "Israel Embarks on an 'Extensive' Military Operation in the West Bank". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-01-21.
11. "PA makes deal with Jenin Battalion, ending standoff in northern West Bank city and camp". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
12. "Two days into West Bank truce, Jenin terror groups open fire on PA forces". The Times of Israel. 2025-01-19. Retrieved 2025-01-19.
13. "Iran Update, January 19, 2025". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 2025-01-20.

• Military operations of the Israel–Hamas war