JENIN(Palestine Foundation Information Center) The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) pressed on with a large-scale military operation in the occupied West Bank, especially in Jenin, for a fourth day on Saturday, August 31, in the midst of ongoing destruction to infrastructure and private property and a curfew in the neighborhoods of al-Damj and al-Jaberiyat.
According to local and media sources, a number of citizens were injured, including a child in his head, by IOF gunfire in Jenin’s al-Damj neighborhood, while Israeli forces continued to prevent ambulance crews from the Red Crescent from entering the area at the time of reporting.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces forced many families to leave their homes and kidnaped several local residents, especially in the eastern neighborhood of Jenin, and reportedly used some citizens as human shields in al-Damj neighborhood.
The IOF also barred water tankers belonging to the civil defense service in Jenin from reaching the Jenin Hospital, while doctors warned that the hospital would stop providing dialysis services soon.
Since the IOF destroyed the main water line feeding Jenin four days ago, the Jenin Hospital has been suffering from a severe shortage of water.
Israeli forces blew up homes in the Jaberiyat neighborhood of Jenin refugee camp, according to Al Jazeera satellite channel.
Describing Jenin as a “ghost city,” Al Jazeera said that “all the businesses are closed and nobody is leaving their homes.”
“Palestinian residents continue to plea to have access to food, water and paramedics,” Al Jazeera reporter said. “This is day four, and the residents of the refugee camp have pretty much no access to any outside help.”
Al Jazeera also reported several gun battles between Palestinian fighters and Israeli soldiers in Jenin, while videos on social media showed extensive damage caused by IOF bulldozers and vehicles across the city and its refugee camp.
