Palestinians the security forces and militant groups aligned with Hamas clash in Jenin
Jenin (QJ) – For more than a week, the Jenin refugee camp, located in the occupied West Bank, has been echoing with the sounds of heavy gunfire, including masked men on rooftops and sporadic explosions in the maze-like streets.
However, this conflict does not involve the Israeli military, which has conducted numerous attacks over the years against what they call terrorists in this camp, a stronghold of resistance against Israeli occupation.
This fight is between Palestinians: the security forces of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and militant groups aligned with Hamas, who accuse the PA of collaborating with Israel.
The Western-backed PA has launched its largest operation in years to remove these militant groups, trying to demonstrate its ability to manage security in the West Bank while eyeing control over Gaza in the future.
But the operation has bolstered resistance and displaced thousands of residents. They have gained little ground, with militias still controlling much of the camp.
PA security forces have tried to arrest dozens of men they label as outlaws attempting to “kidnap” the camp established for Palestinians displaced after the creation of Israel in 1948, now home to about 25,000 people.
Hamas has labeled the camp fighters as “resistance” – an alliance of extremist groups viewing the PA and its security forces as complying with Israeli demands.
These armed groups include the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, Islamic Jihad, and the Qassam Brigades, all fighting under the banner of the Jenin Brigades.
The PA claims its forces have “significantly emerged” in the camp. However, they lack the technology and weaponry that the Israeli military can bring, and on Sunday, a member of the Palestinian Presidential Guard was killed by gunfire.
On Monday, a member of the Palestinian Security Forces was also killed, according to a spokesperson. A senior police officer was shot dead by “camp militants,” said Major General Anwar Rajab.
A journalist at the camp’s entrance told CNN that heavy gunfire and explosions resumed on Monday.
PSF forces have closed all roads leading to the camp, the journalist added, noting that even emergency workers could not enter. Social media videos showed people digging and escaping through the camp’s exit roads.
One of the militant leaders and three youths, the youngest being 14, were killed. Each side blamed the other for the deaths.
The violence capped off a deadly year in the area. In September, Israel conducted a multi-day raid in Jenin, Tulkarem, and Tubas in the northern West Bank, killing at least 39 people and causing widespread destruction, according to the PA health ministry and the UN. These included at least nine fighters, according to public statements by Hamas and Islamic Jihad.