NUNZIUM

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a century-old dispute over land possession, has taken a dramatic turn with the Israeli army conducting its largest operation in the West Bank in nearly two decades. The operation, codenamed House and Garden, targeted the Jenin refugee camp, a stronghold for various armed Palestinian factions and home to 14,000 Palestinian refugees. The operation, which spanned from Monday to Wednesday, saw the deployment of intense ground and aerial forces.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) successfully dismantled six explosives manufacturing facilities and three situation rooms, seizing a significant cache of weaponry. Despite the loss of an Israeli soldier, the IDF hailed the operation as an "extensive counterterrorism effort". It involved 15 air raids, a ground invasion with 150 armoured military vehicles, and the deployment of 1,000 elite special forces. Palestinian officials reported 12 fatalities and over 100 injuries.

This operation marks a significant shift in Israeli tactics towards the growing cross-factional Palestinian resistance. The last major assault on the Jenin camp occurred in April 2002, resulting in 52 Palestinian deaths over 10 days. Over the past six months, the Israeli army has conducted five major raids on the camp.

Following the operation, the camp's infrastructure lay in ruins, with the Palestine Red Crescent Society evacuating about 3,000 people. The Israeli army justified its incursion into the Jenin camp, citing over 50 attacks launched from there.

Despite international efforts to implement a two-state solution, the last attempt collapsed in 2014, and the conflict has only escalated since then. Frequent confrontations have become the norm, and there are concerns that the situation could spread across the rest of the occupied West Bank.

The Israeli army is now focusing on tracking and destroying weapons and explosives in the Jenin camp. Public security minister Itamar Ben Gvir drew a parallel between the conflicts in Jenin and Tel Aviv, underscoring the interconnected nature of the issue.

The operation has left a significant impact on the inhabitants of the region. Hundreds of families, like that of Fatina al-Ghoul, are returning to their homes in ruins. Local hospitals are struggling to cope with the aftermath of the fighting, and residents are in dire need of basic necessities such as drinking water, food, and shelter. The Palestinian foreign ministry has condemned the operation as an "open war against the people of Jenin".

As the conflict potentially enters a more violent phase, with plans to expand Jewish settlements on occupied land, tensions are rising. Discontent is growing among Palestinians with their leaders in the Palestinian Authority. The world watches on as the path to peace becomes increasingly fraught, but the hope for resolution persists.