The gunmen said that they have formed a “Joint Operations Room” consisting of representatives of various Palestinian factions to repel a possible “invasion” by the IDF.
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Palestinians demonstrate at the Israeli Hawara
checkpoint near the city of Nablus and clash with Israeli security
forces on September 13, 2021.
(photo credit: NASSER ISHTAYEH/FLASH90)
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Palestinian gunmen in Jenin said over the weekend that they are prepared to thwart any attempt by the IDF to enter the city or its refugee camp in search of two security prisoners who escaped from Gilboa Prison.
The
gunmen said they have formed a “Joint Operations Room” consisting of
representatives of various Palestinian factions to repel a possible
“invasion” by the IDF.
Palestinian
sources said the gunmen belong to several armed groups affiliated with
Fatah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The sources claimed that the
IDF was preparing to launch a major offensive in the camp following a
series of shooting incidents.
Over
the past few days, gunmen have been carrying out shooting attacks
almost every night at the Jalame checkpoint, located between Jenin and
Mount Gilboa. No one has been hurt in those attacks.
Two
of the six prisoners who escaped from Gilboa Prison remain at large.
The two, Munadel Enfayat and Ayham Kamamji, hail from the Jenin area. It
is believed that at least one of them succeeded in crossing into the
West Bank.
Palestinians walk on empty streets during a full-blown strike in Jenin,
West Bank, in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons,
September 11, 2021. (credit: NASSER ISHTAYEH/FLASH90)The
Joint Operations Room was last active in 2002, when the IDF raided the
Jenin refugee camp as part of Operation Defensive Shield, a large-scale
military operation conducted in the West Bank during the Second Intifada
to stop terrorist attacks.
Jamal
Haweel, a senior Fatah official from the camp, was quoted on Saturday
as warning that Israel would pay a heavy price if the IDF enters the
refugee camp and the city of Jenin.
“We
are all united and everyone is prepared for making sacrifices and
resisting the occupation forces,” Haweel, a member of the Fatah
Revolutionary Council, said.
According to the Fatah official, the failure of the Israeli
authorities to prevent the escape of the six inmates from a high
security prison prompted Israel to issue threats against the Jenin
Refugee Camp.
He
also warned Israel against “exaggerating” the military capabilities of
the refugee camp “by portraying it as if it contains a nuclear bomb.”
Haweel
claimed that the gunmen in the camp and the city of Jenin possess
“simple” military capabilities. “But,” he added, “they are in high
spirits and have a strong will to defend the camp against any Israeli aggression.”
He
appealed to the Palestinian Authority to “provide security” to the
Jenin refugee camp, warning that the downfall of the camp would “affect
the security system” in the West Bank. He also expressed hope that the
terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip would “join in defending the camp
once it comes under attack.”
Haweel claimed that Prime Minister Naftali Bennett wants to launch a military operation against Jenin.
“Bennett will pay a heavy price, because the fighters are united and prepared,” he cautioned.
Hamas also warned Israel against launching a military operation in the Jenin refugee camp.
“We
warn the occupation against committing any foolish acts against our
people in the Jenin camp,” Hamas said in a statement on Friday. “Our
people stand united in their support for our people in Jenin.”
Hamas
also warned Israel against continuing its punitive measures against
Palestinian prisoners in response to the escape from Gilboa Prison.
“Our
people and their resistance will not stand silent in the face of the
continuation of these violations,” the statement read, adding that the
jailbreak was another “defeat” for Israel.
Khaled Abu Toameh
Source: https://www.jpost.com/arab-israeli-conflict/jenin-gunmen-ready-to-foil-possible-idf-incursion-679743
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