Videos capture intense Israeli combat operations during an assault on a West Bank city targeting militant safe havens

• Israeli forces launched a major "counterterrorism" operation in the occupied West Bank on Monday. 
• The assault targeted Palestinian militants Israel accuses of carrying out "terrorist activities."
• A UN official said at least eight Palestinians have been killed, with dozens more injured.  

Israeli forces have launched a major air and ground combat operation in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, targeting what the country says is a hub for armed Palestinian militants accused of carrying out "terrorist activities."

Early Monday morning, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced an "extensive counterterrorism effort" that struck a "joint operational command center" used by the Jenin Brigade militant group. The assaults were focused on the crowded Jenin refugee camp and were still ongoing as of Monday evening local time. The Israeli operations have so far left several Palestinians dead and dozens more injured. 

The IDF said on Telegram that the command center serves as a coordination, communication, and reconnaissance hub for armed militants, who would gather there "before and after terrorist activities." It added that the command center provided a site for "weapons and explosives," as well as a "shelter for wanted individuals involved in carrying out terror attacks in recent months in the area."

Israeli officials said aircraft have targeted militant infrastructure and gunmen, who have exchanged fire with soldiers. The IDF said soldiers also located and confiscated weapons, explosives, radios, and other military equipment.

Footage published on social media by the military shows Israeli troops driving in armored vehicles, breaching homes, firing machine guns, and blowing up buildings. Photographs also capture Israeli military convoys and bulldozers, streets lined with rubble and debris, armed militants engaging in firefights, and several plumes of smoke rising from the city. 

The following videos are graphic depictions of urban warfare:

—צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) July 3, 2023

Monday's assault in Jenin represents Israel's most significant commitment of military assets to the area in two decades, despite regular ground missions there that target Iran-backed groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad. There have been several raids this year, including one in mid-June that left several Palestinians dead. 

Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, an IDF spokesperson, said the military on Monday was targeting "safe havens" and released a satellite map of the Jenin camp that showed the militant command center located in a densely compact neighborhood near two UN facilities. Insider was unable to immediately verify the exact location of the command center. 

According to the United Nations, the Jenin camp has "been the scene of significant suffering" and has high rates of unemployment and poverty. With a population density of over 33,000 people per square kilometer, the UN describes the camp as the setting of frequent Israeli and Palestinian operations that "often result in clashes and violence."

Michael Herzog, Israel's ambassador to the US, said Jenin has become a "major hub of terrorism" over the past two years and is the origin of "most" terror attacks against Israeli citizens. "No nation would sit idly by as terrorists strike its citizens," he said, defending the operation.

Other Israeli officials, including opposition leader Yair Lapid, have expressed their support of the operation in Jenin. Neighboring countries like Jordan and Egypt have condemned the new military action, while the Palestinian Authority, which controls that part of the West Bank, referred to it as a "war crime." 

Tor Wennesland, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said the "dangerous" escalation has killed at least eight Palestinians, including militants. At least 50 more have been injured, and the IDF has not reported any casualties. 

"The operation comes after months of growing tension that once again reminds us of the extremely volatile & unpredictable situation across the occupied West Bank. All must ensure the civilian population is protected." Wennesland wrote on Twitter.

"From the outset, I have been in direct contacts with all relevant parties to urgently de-escalate the situation & ensure humanitarian access and delivery of necessary medical and other supplies into #Jenin," he added.