Heavy fighting resumed Tuesday evening on the second day of the IDF’s counter terror Operation Bayit V’Gan (House and Garden) in the terrorist hotbed city of Jenin in northern Samaria.
The IDF neutralized 11 concealed IEDs in the Jenin Camp.
Here’s how we do it: pic.twitter.com/VWJLDaWHxS— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) July 4, 2023
Israeli military reporters who entered the Palestinian Authority city with Israel Defense Forces noted that IDF sappers detonated bombs planted beneath certain roads, and IDF bulldozers had ground up other roads which were similarly boobytrapped.
Yesterday, we operated to extract armed gunmen, who were using a Mosque as a cover for terrorist operations.
Today, soldiers completed the mission by confiscating the hundreds of different weapons and ammunition, and eliminating the underground pits and shafts used by the… pic.twitter.com/e4EqylgavF
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) July 4, 2023
Terrorists fired at IDF troops from inside a hospital in the city, Israeli media reported. At least three terrorists were reported injured in the exchange of gunfire, according to Israel’s Channel 12 News.
Operation Bayit V’Gan by the Numbers
More than 1,000 Israeli soldiers are involved in Operation Bayit V’Gan, the largest carried out by the IDF in Judea and Samaria in 20 years.
IDF and Shin Bet security personnel have tracked down and seized thousands of weapons in the city. More than 300 suspects were interrogated; of those, at least 30 were formally arrested.
Ten terrorists were killed, according to the Palestinian Authority Health Ministry, and dozens more were wounded in the shootouts.
Fourteen war management rooms and apartments used as terrorist headquarters were located and dismantled, along with six explosives laboratories.
Dozens of kilograms of chemicals used to produce explosives were seized. Six underground shafts and tunnels were located and destroyed.
Thousands of local residents left the city temporarily to escape the gunfire taking place during the operation. The IDF issued a clarification to correct erroneous Arab media reports claiming Israeli soldiers ordered the evacuation.
“These reports are fake news,” IDF Arabic spokesperson Avihai Adrei wrote. “The IDF did not order them to evacuate their homes.”
The IDF spent the past two days blowing up terrorist command and coordination centers, weapons production factories and weapons storage facilities in the city.
Holy places, such as the Al-Nasr Mosque, should not be used as a front for terrorism.
Packed with loads of ammunition, and two underground pits containing explosive devices, this is just one example of how terrorists abuse the citizens of Jenin.
We will continue operating… pic.twitter.com/7eU36tqv16
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) July 3, 2023
Explosives, weapons, and military equipment were hidden in the Al-Nasr Mosque where soldiers found and destroyed a tunnel beneath the floor of the Islamic house of worship, which was being used as a fortified hideout.
Terror Attacks Won’t Deter Israeli Forces
An operational situation assessment was held Tuesday afternoon by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant near the Salem Crossing, close to Jenin, together with IDF Central Command head Maj-Gen Yehuda Fuchs and Menashe Brigade Commander Col. Arik Moyal. The commanders updated Netanyahu and Gallant about the destruction of laboratories for production of explosives, threats from IEDs and arrests of terrorists.
Referring to a terrorist ramming and stabbing attack that took place in Tel Aviv earlier in the day, Netanyahu warned in a statement, “Whoever thinks that such an attack will deter us from continuing our fight against terrorism is mistaken. He is simply unfamiliar with the spirit of the State of Israel, our government, our citizens, and our soldiers.
“We will continue as long as necessary to uproot terrorism. We will not allow Jenin to go back to being a city of refuge for terrorism. We will eradicate terrorism wherever we see it and we will strike at it,” the prime minister said.
‘No Safe Haven for Terrorists’
“Over the past two years, Jenin has become a ‘production site’ for terrorism,” Gallant pointed out. “As a result of [our activities over] the past two days, this has come to an end.
“We have intercepted weapon production lines and confiscated thousands of explosive devices. We have demolished dozens of weapon manufacturing sites, hideouts, and labs producing explosive devices.
“Anyone who attempts to harm Israeli citizens, will pay a heavy price. We will reach each and everyone who threatens our citizens, and once we do, we will bring them to justice,” Gallant added.
IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi had words of praise for the forces and said terrorists will not find a safe haven in Jenin.
“We know how to enter wherever we want, whenever required, and at the time we choose,” Halevi said in a statement from IDF headquarters at the Kirya in Tel Aviv.
“There will be no safe haven for terrorists – whoever escaped today, we will make sure to find them tomorrow.
“I met with the forces on the ground yesterday and today – young and old, regular [army] and reservists – motivated and eager to perform their duties with great professionalism in a very impressive manner.”
Following the attack in Tel Aviv, Israel Police raised the alert level throughout the country. Roadblocks are to be set up beginning Wednesday morning at the entrances to cities nationwide, and police will increase their presence at shopping malls and commercial centers.
