[News] ‘Little Gaza’ in Jenin refugee camp: the resistance fights for survival

[Anti-Imperialist News]

mondoweiss.net
<https://mondoweiss.net/2023/12/little-gaza-in-jenin-refugee-camp-the-resistance-fights-for-survival/?ml_recipient=108092194857944627&ml_link=108091877621761918&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=2023-12-20&utm_campaign=Daily+Headlines+RSS+Automation>
‘Little Gaza’ in Jenin refugee camp: the resistance fights for
survival By Shatha
Hanaysha <https://mondoweiss.net/author/shatha-hanaysha/> December 20, 2023
<https://mondoweiss.net/2023/12/little-gaza-in-jenin-refugee-camp-the-resistance-fights-for-survival/>
------------------------------

As soon as the sun begins to fade in Jenin refugee camp, Zuhour al-Sa’di
clutches her three children along with their bags and schoolbooks, leaving
the camp. Her situation mirrors that of many residents escaping the
recurring nightly invasions carried out by the Israeli military on Jenin.

Lately, no night passes peacefully in the city and its refugee camp.
Incursions by Israeli special forces in the northern West Bank city have
increased significantly
<https://mondoweiss.net/2023/11/israel-intensifies-crackdown-on-armed-resistance-in-jenin-following-october-7/>
since October 7, resulting in prolonged invasions that sometimes last for
days. During these operations, homes in the camp are destroyed, along with
the streets and civilian infrastructure, as well as the roads leading to
the camp. Additionally, there are disruptions to electrical power, water
lines, and the sewage system, leading to the flooding of camp streets with
wastewater.

Every time the residents of the camp attempt to process what is happening
around them and repair some of the havoc caused by the invasions, Israeli
forces return and tear up the same streets yet again. These repeated acts
of wanton destruction are a form of collective punishment that the army
imposes on the camp and its inhabitants. Zuhour says that leaving her house
in the camp is driven by fear for her children, as Israeli soldiers’
indiscriminate firing during the raids puts them in real danger even when
they are indoors. At the same time, the destruction of the streets makes it
difficult for her children to reach school the next day once the raid ends.

After school, Zuhour and her children return home with unease, ready to
leave at any moment upon hearing the camp’s residents sounding the alarm,
alerting the area of an impending army raid.
*War against Jenin since October 7*

Israel has taken advantage of the fighting in Gaza to launch an all-out war
on the armed resistance in the West Bank, which it has been unable to root
out during the past two years of limited counterinsurgency operations in
Nablus, Jenin, Tulkarem, and Jericho. The bulk of the Israeli military
operations are now taking place in the Jenin refugee camp. These operations
typically extend for long hours and sometimes last for days. In each
instance, the singular objective is clear: to “eliminate” the resistance
that has taken root in the camp, specifically the Jenin Brigade
<https://mondoweiss.net/2022/11/inside-the-wasps-nest-the-rise-of-the-jenin-brigade/>,
an umbrella formation of several armed resistance groups. All these
incursions are accompanied by military bulldozers that destroy
infrastructure, homes, and streets.

However, the nature of the raids on Jenin has changed, and they are now
often accompanied by airstrikes through reconnaissance aircraft (referred
to by camp residents as suicide drones) targeting youth gatherings. Since
October 7, 21 Palestinians have been killed in Jenin refugee camp from
airstrikes and army incursions. In total, 35 Palestinians in the West Bank
have been killed in this time from Israeli airstrikes.

It is worth noting that the first use of Apache helicopters and
reconnaissance aircraft for airstrikes in the West Bank since the Battle of
Jenin in 2002 was also in the Jenin refugee camp, in June 2023
<https://mondoweiss.net/2023/06/west-bank-dispatch-israeli-campaign-to-quell-jenin-resistance-reaches-new-heights/>.
This was followed by another airstrike during the military operation
carried out by the Israeli army on the camp in July of the same year
<https://mondoweiss.net/2023/07/west-bank-dispatch-the-aftermath-of-the-jenin-invasion/>
.

The raids have been ongoing since October, but the military incursions
stepped up the pace during the past month. On November 29, Israeli forces
assassinated two prominent founders of the Jenin Brigade, Muhammad Zubeidi
and Wissam Hanoun. Things have only escalated from that point onwards.

The initial response to the assassinations of Zubeidi and Hanoun came
through a drive-by shooting operation on the Dotan checkpoint west of the
city of Jenin on December 8, resulting in the injury of an Israeli soldier,
as announced by the Israeli army. The operation was later claimed by the
Jenin Brigade, which declared that more than one soldier was injured. This
was considered a significant blow to Israel in the West Bank, especially as
the operation took place outside the camp and targeted a military
checkpoint during a period in which Israeli forces were on heightened
security alert.

On the morning of December 5, while in Jenin refugee camp working on a
report following the conclusion of a nighttime raid the day before, I
roamed through the heart of the camp with other journalists to document the
latest destruction. Suddenly, alarm sirens sounded — the means by which
“the watchers” of the resistance and residents of the camp alert residents
of the presence of Israeli special forces in civilian cars and an impending
army incursion.

The resistance in the camp had discovered undercover forces entering under
the guise of a commercial vehicle. These incursions are often conducted for
the purpose of arrest or assassination, and early detection of the
incursion meant that the target was likely notified ahead of time and
shifted locations. In other words, this particular raid was a failure, as
it did not result in the capture or killing of any member of the resistance.

The raid lasted over 11 hours, during which the army arrested dozens of
civilians and relatives of martyrs, some of whom were released later on the
same day. Armed clashes broke out between the resistance and the army
inside the camp and on its outskirts. The resistance attempted to repel the
invasion by launching locally-made hand grenades on the Israeli military
vehicles deployed in the camp and in Jenin City. These clashes were
described as the most intense battle since the army had declared that it
had eliminated Zubeidi and Hanoun.

The most recent raid on the camp took place on December 12 and lasted for
three days, resulting in the killing of 13 Palestinians and the injury of
33 others in both the city of Jenin and the camp. During this time, Israeli
forces besieged the camp, restricting entry and exit, and conducted
house-to-house raids, arresting hundreds in a scene reminiscent of the
civilian arrests in Gaza
<https://mondoweiss.net/2023/12/operation-al-aqsa-flood-day-63-israeli-army-rounds-up-strips-and-blindfolds-civilian-men-in-gaza-takes-them-to-unknown-location/>
.
[image: Palestinians walk through Jenin refugee camp in the aftermath of
the Israeli three-day raid on the camp, December 14, 2023. (Photo: Mohammed
Nasser/APA Images)]Palestinians walk through Jenin refugee camp in the
aftermath of the Israeli three-day raid on the camp, December 14, 2023.
(Photo: Mohammed Nasser/APA Images)

This assault was the Israeli army’s largest military operation in the camp
since the 2002 “Battle of Jenin
<https://mondoweiss.net/2022/04/remembering-jenin-20-years-after-in-the-shadow-of-ukraine/>.”
The Israeli army views it as an extension of the war on Gaza and the effort
to eliminate Hamas and Palestinian resistance factions. The three-day
operation witnessed intense clashes in several areas within and around the
camp and the city. It resulted in the injury of 7 Israeli soldiers, as
announced by the Israeli forces.

However, the Jenin Brigade announced in a statement
<https://t.me/sarayajneen/1168> after the raid that its fighters managed to
carry out several operations and precision strikes on various axes and
areas where Israeli army soldiers and vehicles were positioned.

An anonymous source from the Jenin Brigade spoke to *Mondoweiss* about the
invasion.

“[We] targeted an infantry force of occupation soldiers stationed in Jenin
camp square with an explosive device, which resulted in direct injuries,”
the source said. “After observing soldiers outside the vehicles on the road
between the city and the camp, the resistance fighters managed to snipe at
least two soldiers, as shown through the media.”

“Another group of fighters, minutes after the sniper ambush, targeted a
unit of soldiers positioned in front of the mosque in the New Camp area,”
he continued. “The fighters also breached the tight security barrier, and
despite the presence of reconnaissance aircraft and sniper teams, targeted
occupation soldiers in the Khallet Al-Sawha neighborhood in Jenin city.”
[image: Israeli army vandalized and spray-painted residents' homes in Jenin
refugee camp during military raids. (Photo: Shatha Hanaysha)]Vandalized and
spray-painted home in Jenin refugee camp, showcasing a Star of David and
the word “Messiah” in Hebrew. (Photo: Shatha Hanaysha)

The Jenin Brigade source maintained that the Israeli army’s operation on
December 12 was a failure, as it did not result in the arrest of any wanted
resistance fighters from the Jenin Brigade, and most of the arrests were of
civilians who were later released. The source confirmed that the resistance
fighters remained in the camp and the city, and the clashes persisted
throughout the entire incursion.

The source also insisted that Israel was attempting to portray an image of
victory through vandalism, painting Zionist slogans on the walls, tearing
down pictures of martyrs, ransacking and blowing up homes, desecrating
mosques and broadcasting Jewish prayers through its speakers, and detaining
civilians without cause.
*Resistance in decline?*

Israeli affairs expert Anas Abu Arqoub told *Mondoweiss* that the
statements from Israeli military and political officials holding that the
resistance in Jenin has ended is belied by the reality on the ground. He
asserts that Israeli officials are aware that their own statements are
untrue, but are making them anyway to boost the morale of the Israeli
public after the the deterrence of the Israeli army was shattered on
October 7.

In an exclusive interview conducted by *Mondoweiss *with a fighter from the
Jenin Brigade, we asked him about the accuracy of Israeli media claims that
the equation in the camp changed after the assassination of Zubeidi and
Hanoun.

“The occupation’s claims are baseless,” he responded. “In 2002, we lost
Mahmoud Tawalbeh [a leader in the Islamic Jihad’s military wing, the
Al-Quds Brigades] and many other prominent leaders. However, a new
generation emerged, carrying the torch once again. In the Battle of the
Sword of Jerusalem [launched by Hamas in Gaza in 2021 in response to
Israeli settler provocations in Al-Aqsa], we lost Jameel Al-Amouri [an
early founder of the Jenin Brigade], and everyone was in pain, but the
youth continued, and they carried the banner anew. This will be a new phase
and a new beginning, and we will become stronger after the assassination of
Muhammad Zubeidi and Wissam Hanoun as well.”

“The repeated operations by the occupation army have two sides to them,”
the fighter continued. “On the one hand, there is fatigue and exhaustion
for the youth, but at the same time, we become closer to our God in these
incursions. The closer the occupation comes to us, the closer we get to
God. We become stronger every time we break the barriers of fear from
things we experienced before. In the past, for example, we had a fear of
[Israeli] missiles, but now we have overcome this fear, and we deal with
missiles as something normal. Then we had a fear of [Israeli attack]
drones, but now we move about and have overcome this fear.”

“Every time the occupation tries a new approach against us, initially, we
feel fear, but later we get used to it,” he maintained. “There is a saying,
‘The beatings that don’t kill us make us stronger.’ With these raids, we
gain more experience and become more capable of dealing with them. In this
way, the occupation loses. They used everything available to them to
threaten the youth. In the past, they threatened us with missiles and
drones without using them, but now they have actually used these weapons.
They used Apache helicopters, reconnaissance aircraft, and shoulder-fired
missiles, and they have nothing left to frighten us with.”

“The Jenin Brigade has become an institution.”
A leader of the Jenin Brigade.

Another resistance member, a leader in the Jenin Brigade, told *Mondoweiss*
that “the revolutionary state and mentality were initially embodied by
individuals, and then they evolved into a security institution or a
jihadist struggle system. Its focus is not on a specific person relying on
their support. Although there are individuals who have a significant impact
on the streets, the ideology and awareness present in the community
compensate for this absence. Youth now strive to become leaders in this
Brigade and among the resistance in general.”

“The departure of Muhammad Zubeidi and Wissam Hanoun undoubtedly has a
significant impact, but it will not be the impact that the Israeli
occupation desires in the sense of leading to division or stopping the
Brigade’s work,” he continued. “The Jenin Brigade has become an
institution; one person can cover for another, regardless of their name and
influence on the streets. We will continue, God willing, until our last
breath.”

He informed us that, in their fight, “there are differences in the balance
of power [between Israel and the resistance], and this has a considerable
impact.”

“However, this power imbalance has existed between us and the occupation
since the beginning of this phase of struggle,” he continued. “We fought
the Israeli army with all its weapons and equipment. At that time, we did
not exceed 50 fighters, but our thinking, awareness, and belief — the firm
belief in victory and the rightful claim to the land — are what make us
present on the battlefields. Even if there is a difference in the balance
of power, I continue because I am a human who wants to live with dignity
and life. If it is a life of dignity, is worth living.”

Political analyst Ayman Youssef says that Jenin has historically had an
exceptional role in the struggle and resistance against occupation, and
this continues today. He points to the distinctiveness of Jenin’s
experience today, where there is coordination and a joint operations room
among all resistance factions, embodying national unity in the West Bank.
Despite Israel’s success in reaching some wanted individuals and resistance
fighters, he considers it unlikely that the idea of resistance and struggle
will end, emphasizing that it is an ideological and steadfast concept that
transcends generations.

“Jenin, with its social and resistance-oriented character, including the
presence of the camp and rural areas, represents a rare case,” Youssef told
*Mondoweiss*, believing that resistance in Jenin will continue to renew and
reinvent itself over time. Most importantly, he points out that the
resistance in Jenin is not monopolized by a single political faction or
group — it is the camp that resists through the various factions. The Jenin
Brigade is the current expression of that resistance, and this tradition
will not go away.

On the contrary, Youssef argues, the Jenin model has spread over the past
two years, replicating itself in refugee camps in the northern West Bank,
including the refugee camps of Nour Shams in Tulkarem, Balata in Nablus,
Aqbat Jaber in Jericho, and al-Far’a in Tubas. The refugees in these camps,
coupled with the absence of social and political justice, continue to fuel
and galvanize the national movement, pushing it forward. While these
movements may sometimes fade, Youssef asserts, they will undoubtedly renew
over time.
*War on the people, from Gaza to Jenin*

At the beginning of any Israeli military operation in the Jenin area,
military convoys are dispatched to the entrances of the Jenin Government
Hospital and the Ibn Sina Hospital, the two largest hospitals in the city,
in addition to three other hospitals. The army enforces a blockade on all
these medical facilities, preventing anyone from entering or exiting, which
has hindered the arrival of patients and the injured to the hospitals. The
army has even conducted searches and inspections of ambulances, impeding
and delaying paramedics, who are not allowed to enter the camp without
security coordination.

With every injury transported by ambulances, Israeli forces halt the
vehicle and search it, while checking the identity of the injured person —
if their name is not on the wanted list, they allow them to pass after much
delay. In the last raid on December 12, at least three wounded individuals
died en route to the hospital due to the deliberate delays in the army’s
search procedures. A child named Ahmad Samara, 13, died after Israeli
forces prevented his admittance into the hospital because he was being
transported in a civilian vehicle. His father was forced to carry him on
foot, and by the time he reached the hospital, it was too late.

The director of the Jenin Government Hospital, Wisam Bakr, tells
*Mondoweiss* that live bullets and tear gas canisters are often fired
toward the hospital. On one occasion, a young man in the hospital courtyard
was shot and killed with live ammunition by an Israeli sniper.

“With the beginning of any military operation in Jenin, Israeli military
vehicles station in front of the hospital gates, surrounding it and
preventing the exit of ambulances to transport the wounded, martyrs, or
even patients,” Bakr said. “The situation in the hospitals is very
critical; it is difficult for kidney patients to reach their dialysis
sessions due to the restrictions on people’s movement in the streets,
posing a danger to their lives.”
[image: Israeli army stops and searches ambulances during a raid of Jenin
refugee camp (Photo: Shatha Hanaysha)]Israeli army stops and searches
ambulances during a raid of Jenin refugee camp (Photo: Shatha Hanaysha)

Ayman Youssef suggests that what is taking place in Jenin today is a
microcosm of Israel’s recent war in Gaza — from attacking hospitals,
schools, and infrastructure to the assassination of journalists,
intellectuals, and doctors. This includes besieging hospitals, uprooting
national symbols, and destroying streets.

This is because what Israel is doing in Gaza and Jenin, Youssef argues,
reflects the implementation of a scorched-earth strategy. This means the
destruction of all aspects of life, including civil and community
structures, to alienate popular support for the resistance. This strategy
also occasionally contains tactical goals, such as uncovering booby-traps
and IEDs, but the overarching objective of the scale of destruction is
clear: to lay waste to the society of the camp in the hopes of driving a
wedge between the people and the resistance.

Youssef believes that such actions will not have their intended effect,
noting that such tactics usually follow when the Israeli army has already
failed to achieve its goals against the resistance, resorting to destroying
human infrastructure.
[image: Palestinians resist Israeli forces during the three-day Israeli
raid on Jenin, December 13, 2023. (Photo: Mohammed Nasser/APA
Images)]Palestinians
resist Israeli forces during the three-day Israeli raid on Jenin, December
13, 2023. (Photo: Mohammed Nasser/APA Images) *‘All for the resistance’*

The Israeli strategy for Jenin is, therefore, to target both the resistance
and the people of the camp, hoping that the latter will no longer tolerate
the presence of the former after such sustained collective punishment.

Firas Al-Ghoul, a camp resident whose house was raided by the Israeli
forces, asserts that the Israeli military invades civilian homes in the
camp, destroying their contents and vandalizing them, even when the
homeowners are not affiliated with the resistance. The Israeli forces go
beyond that, bulldozing areas in front of the houses and the surrounding
roads, creating mounds of dirt in front of shops and homes.

“Nothing is spared, neither trees, nor people, nor streets,” Al-Ghoul told
*Mondoweiss*. “This is a systematic policy carried out by the occupation
against us to displace us from our homes and evacuate the camp. However, no
matter what the occupation does, we will not leave our homes except to
return to our lands, from which we were expelled in 1948.”

Haniyya Hassan, a 60-year-old woman living with her 70-year-old husband in
the camp, says that they cannot leave their house due to their age and that
the Israeli army invaded and ransacked their home. The streets in front of
their house were bulldozed in the most recent incursion, and now vehicles
can’t reach their home. “Why does the Israeli military invade and destroy
our house?” Haniyya says. “A home that belongs to elderly people living
alone, with no youth or resistance fighters living with them?”

The repeated destruction is meant to wear down the people of the camp,
especially as winter approaches and some homes become flooded with
rainwater. Residents attempt to repair certain roads and rebuild
infrastructure, but the Israeli military just comes back in and destroys
everything all over again.

Yet, in spite of this calculated Israeli policy, when you walk through the
camp’s streets and ask people, they will respond with a unified answer: “A
sacrifice for the resistance. The important thing is that the youth
[resistance righters] are safe.”
------------------------------


*Shatha Hanaysha <https://mondoweiss.net/author/shatha-hanaysha/>*Shatha
Hanaysha is a Palestinian journalist based in Jenin in the occupied West
Bank.
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