Jenin gunmen ready to foil possible IDF ‘incursion’

Palestinian gunmen in Jenin said over the weekend that they are prepared to thwart any attempt by the IDF to enter the city or its refugee camp in search of two security prisoners who escaped from Gilboa Prison.

The gunmen said they have formed a “Joint Operations Room” consisting of representatives of various Palestinian factions to repel a possible “invasion” by the IDF.

Palestinian sources said the gunmen belong to several armed groups affiliated with Fatah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The sources claimed that the IDF was preparing to launch a major offensive in the camp following a series of shooting incidents.

Over the past few days, gunmen have been carrying out shooting attacks almost every night at the Jalame checkpoint, located between Jenin and Mount Gilboa. No one has been hurt in those attacks.

Two of the six prisoners who escaped from Gilboa Prison remain at large. The two, Munadel Enfayat and Ayham Kamamji, hail from the Jenin area. It is believed that at least one of them succeeded in crossing into the West Bank.

The Joint Operations Room was last active in 2002, when the IDF raided the Jenin refugee camp as part of Operation Defensive Shield, a large-scale military operation conducted in the West Bank during the Second Intifada to stop terrorist attacks.

Jamal Haweel, a senior Fatah official from the camp, was quoted on Saturday as warning that Israel would pay a heavy price if the IDF enters the refugee camp and the city of Jenin.

“We are all united and everyone is prepared for making sacrifices and resisting the occupation forces,” Haweel, a member of the Fatah Revolutionary Council, said.

Haweel told the Palestinian news agency Khabar that the daily “clashes” between Palestinians and IDF soldiers near the Jalame checkpoint are “an expression of the reality of the culture of resistance and anger of the Palestinian street toward the criminal enemy.”

According to the Fatah official, the failure of the Israeli authorities to prevent the escape of the six inmates from a high security prison prompted Israel to issue threats against the Jenin Refugee Camp.

He also warned Israel against “exaggerating” the military capabilities of the refugee camp “by portraying it as if it contains a nuclear bomb.”

Haweel claimed that the gunmen in the camp and the city of Jenin possess “simple” military capabilities. “But,” he added, “they are in high spirits and have a strong will to defend the camp against any Israeli aggression.”

He appealed to the Palestinian Authority to “provide security” to the Jenin refugee camp, warning that the downfall of the camp would “affect the security system” in the West Bank. He also expressed hope that the terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip would “join in defending the camp once it comes under attack.”

Haweel claimed that Prime Minister Naftali Bennett wants to launch a military operation against Jenin.

“Bennett will pay a heavy price, because the fighters are united and prepared,” he cautioned.

Hamas also warned Israel against launching a military operation in the Jenin refugee camp.

“We warn the occupation against committing any foolish acts against our people in the Jenin camp,” Hamas said in a statement on Friday. “Our people stand united in their support for our people in Jenin.”

Hamas also warned Israel against continuing its punitive measures against Palestinian prisoners in response to the escape from Gilboa Prison.

“Our people and their resistance will not stand silent in the face of the continuation of these violations,” the statement read, adding that the jailbreak was another “defeat” for Israel.