Hundreds of fighters charging deep into the refugee camp on foot, fighter jets and drones eliminate senior officials from the air, terrorists hiding in the bushes or turning themselves in en masse for fear of the IDF.
This is the situation in the terrorist capital of Judea and Samaria, the Jenin refugee camp, after a number of massive operations carried out by Israel with almost no public attention due to the fighting in the Gaza Strip. Senior IDF sources also cautiously assess that the terrorists are on the verge of a real collapse in the area.
Since the beginning of the Iron Sword War, the IDF has set itself the goal of putting an end to the severe wave of terrorism that has been raging in Judea and Samaria for nearly two years. In northern Samaria, which was not under military control from a security point of view, unlike other areas in Judea and Samaria, heavily armed gangs operated and carried out severe terrorist attacks, both in Judea and Samaria and inside Israeli cities.
Security forces in Jenin activity, last month // Use in accordance with section 27A of the Copyright Law
With the beginning of the war, the IDF decided to take off its gloves and attack with unimaginable force the armed gangs in the Jenin refugee camp, as well as in other refugee camps, most of them in northern Samaria, in an unprecedented step, and on a scale of forces that from the standpoint of the refugee camp is even greater than in Operation Defensive Shield.
For the mission in Jenin, the reserve brigade "Marom Foxes Formation" was recruited. With the beginning of the war, the brigade's commander, Col. Elad Sasson, who had assumed his post only two days earlier, dispatched his forces without an order of eight, and they liberated Kibbutz Be'eri and even managed to participate in the battles in Gaza. A few weeks ago they immigrated to northern Samaria for one purpose only - to serve as an offensive brigade that would put an end to terrorism in the refugee camp. At first they carried out successful offensive operations in the Balata refugee camp, and now they are focusing on the Jenin refugee camp.
Significant change on the ground
The fact that a reserve brigade of paratroopers, an infantry brigade, fulfills the mission, is not at all self-evident. Until the war, those who fought such battles were special forces only. The IDF says that the reservists are doing an outstanding job. "The commando brigade had six months to prepare for Operation Home and Garden. The fighters of the 646th Brigade had 24 hours," says a senior IDF source.
IDF forces in Jenin, photo: IDF Spokesperson
Two significant operations were carried out in Jenin during the past two weeks. Unlike in the past, when the fighters entered only in heavily armored vehicles, this time the forces entered on foot, directly into the extreme refugee camp, and began to go house-to-house in order to eradicate the threat. Dozens of terrorists were arrested, many were eliminated, and in some cases the assassinations were carried out remotely using drones. In the first operation, five terrorists were eliminated, some by aircraft, IED labs and observation rooms were seized, along with weapons and dozens of detainees. In the second operation, the fighters destroyed an underground shaft, a lathe for manufacturing weapons, and seized IEDs, weapons, ammunition and military equipment.
"The change on the ground is significant," the official said. In contrast to the regional brigades, which deal quite a bit with defending the settlements and roads, and therefore their number of forces is limited, the 646th Brigade is an offensive brigade whose sole purpose is to thwart terrorism in the hornet's nest.
Elite Reserve Forces
"Prior to the war, the refugee camps were a place where the IDF did not operate with full freedom of action, and due to the fear of IEDs, even during Operation Home and Garden, foot movement within them was prevented. Now, we made a quick encirclement so that no one could open, and then we unloaded on foot to the heart of the camp. The enemy understood that he had nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. The realization that became clearer after October 7 is that we can no longer accept nests of terror that threaten us. There's nowhere we won't go. The reserve battalions are very capable and manage to achieve significant achievements.
IDF forces in Jenin, photo: IDF Spokesperson
Lieutenant Colonel Erez Yerushalmi, commander of Battalion 8105, operates a battalion combat team accompanied by sting fighters, saboteurs and advanced drones. Recently, they infiltrated into the refugee camp to destroy an IED laboratory used by terrorists to straw the streets. "The reserve paratroopers are the elite of the reserve forces. They left their families, jobs and lives, and were called to the flag to serve the country and protect its citizens. They take part in hand-to-hand battles with the enemy, in places few have set foot in, with the understanding that the destruction of terrorist organizations in Judea and Samaria is at the heart of protecting the country's residents. The battalion will continue to exact a heavy price from terrorist organizations and enemies of Israel, wherever it is tasked with the mission."
The significant fighting in Jenin, the IDF says, is proving itself on the ground. There is a massive increase in the number of terrorists who turn themselves in or turn themselves in to the security forces, and others are caught in various places. Thus, the terrorist who murdered Silas Shai Nigerker and his son Aviad Nir in Huwara was caught with a weapon inside Buidam in the heart of the refugee camp. "We pulled terrorists out of bushes, because there wasn't a house we didn't reach."
The weapons are starting to run out
The terrorist gangs in Jenin, the IDF estimates, are on the verge of breaking. It is difficult for the terrorists to get their hands on weapons, after many of the rifles in their possession have been seized. The surrender of the terrorists to the security forces also proves that the root cause that was necessary to eradicate terrorism in the city of murderers has finally been done.
"They're starting to run out of weapons. Every weapon we take from them is worth more to them than another person we take. We have seized IEDs and lathes, and we are dismantling the terrorist forces that make up the city. We eliminated Muhammad Zubeidi, who was a unifying factor between several factions, and I believe that this is the beginning of the dismantling of the system of the resistance force in Jenin. The mission, of course, is not over. Terrorism does not win in one month, but slowly, with aggregate achievements, we will dismantle this organization and reach every camp. The goal is for the IDF's freedom of action to be everywhere in Judea and Samaria."
Weapons seized in Jenin // Photo: IDF Spokesperson
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