An Israeli soldier was killed after being shot in the city of Jenin in the West Bank on Tuesday evening, as Israeli forces began their withdrawal from the area following a two-day extensive military operation.
The Israeli army stated that the soldier, whose name was released on Wednesday as First Sergeant David Yehuda Yitzhak from the elite unit “Egoz,” received treatment at the scene before being transported to a hospital in Israel, where his death was announced.
Army spokesperson Daniyal Haghari stated that the officer was injured while securing the army’s withdrawal from Jenin.
He added that the army is investigating whether the non-commissioned officer was injured by Palestinian gunfire or by what is known as “friendly fire” from other Israeli forces in the area.
Yitzhak (23 years old), a resident of the Beit El settlement in the West Bank, is scheduled to be buried in the military cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem on Wednesday afternoon.
Defense Minister Yoav Galant expressed in a statement that his “heart and thoughts” are with Yitzhak’s family.
Further sporadic clashes occurred between Palestinian militants and Israeli forces during the latter’s slow withdrawal from the West Bank city later on Tuesday evening. The withdrawal was completed in the hours before dawn on Wednesday.
Haghari stated that despite the withdrawal, the forces would remain on high alert in the area “in preparation for whatever is necessary.”
By midnight, residents in the Jenin refugee camp reported that the army had left the area, and people began returning to the streets.
The returning residents described the destruction that had befallen the roads, with buildings turned into rubble.
As the withdrawal commenced, the Israeli army conducted an airstrike on Palestinian militants positioned in a cemetery on the outskirts of Jenin, who posed a threat to the security forces during their departure from the camp.
Palestinian media reported several injuries resulting from the airstrike, but their conditions were not immediately known.
Israel launched a wide-scale operation early Monday to eradicate what it claims to be a terrorism hub in the city. Palestinians from the area have carried out a number of attacks against Israelis in recent years, and observers say the Palestinian Authority has limited control over the territory.
The Israeli army focused its operation on the local wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement known as the “Jenin Brigade,” in addition to other smaller armed groups in the city and the camp.
Palestinian health officials reported that 13 people were killed and at least 100 others injured, including 20 in critical condition, during Israeli airstrikes and clashes with Israeli forces.
Haghari stated that Israeli forces killed at least 18 Palestinian militants.
All the Palestinian casualties were involved in the fighting, although some of the wounded were not combatants, according to the Israeli army.
Over 1,000 Israeli soldiers participated in the operation, which appeared to be the largest in the West Bank in approximately 20 years.
Jenin Mayor Nidal al-Abed stated that around 4,000 Palestinians, approximately one-third of the camp’s population, fled to stay with relatives or in shelters.
Kifah Ja’aisa, a resident of the camp, stated that soldiers forcibly entered her home and confined her family inside.
She said the soldiers “took the young men of my family to the upper floor and left the women and children trapped in the apartment on the first floor.”
She claimed that the soldiers did not allow her to bring food to the children and prevented an ambulance crew from entering the house when she requested assistance.
