Israeli forces have withdrawn from Jenin in the occupied West Bank after a 10-day siege, leaving a path of destruction.
At least 21 people were killed in the city of Jenin and the refugee camp, the Palestinian Health Ministry said in a statement on Friday.
In a statement on Facebook, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry accused Israel of transferring its brutal destruction and destruction in the Gaza Strip to the West Bank, as evidenced by the situation in Jenin and Tulkarem and the refugee camps there.
Israeli armored personnel carriers were seen leaving the Jenin camp overnight from a checkpoint set up on one of the main roads. A reporter with The Associated Press news agency inside the camp saw no evidence of any soldiers remaining inside as of dawn Friday.
There was no immediate comment from Israel’s military, which said it would issue a statement later in the day. It was not clear whether the apparent withdrawal was just a temporary move to redeploy forces.
Hundreds of Israeli soldiers have been involved in what the United Nations has called “deadly war-like tactics” for more than a week in their deadliest operation in the West Bank since Israel’s war on Gaza began in October.
The invasion has had a devastating effect on Palestinian civilians living in Jenin.
Water and electricity services have been cut, families have been confined to their homes and ambulances evacuating the injured have been slowed on their way to nearby hospitals.
On a quiet morning Friday, residents of Jenin took advantage of the lull to wade through the rubble of destroyed buildings and take stock of the damage.
Post Resulting in Israeli military withdrawal from Jenin in the occupied West Bank appeared first Al Jazeera.