UN Strongly Pressures Israel: "The Raid on Jenin Is Terrorism"

Drone Missile Deployment Devastates Jenin, West Bank
Over 120 Palestinian Casualties and Displaced Refugees
"War Crimes Violating International Law" Analysis Also

The United Nations strongly criticized the Israeli military for its relentless bombing of Palestinian refugee civilians over two days before retreating.

On the 6th (local time), Ant?nio Guterres, UN Secretary-General, stated at a press conference, "Israel conducted an excessive military operation in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank," and expressed strong regret, saying, "This operation, the largest in over 20 years, caused injuries to Palestinian civilians, forced thousands to flee, and destroyed schools, hospitals, water, and electricity facilities."

He also pressured Israel for obstructing emergency activities by relief workers, preventing Palestinian injured from receiving timely treatment, saying, "We strongly condemn all acts of violence against civilians, including terrorism." According to the AP news agency, it is very rare for the UN to issue such strong criticism regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Secretary-General Guterres urged Israel to comply with international law and exercise restraint, using force only to the extent necessary. He emphasized, "Airstrikes cannot be law enforcement operations," and "As an occupying power, Israel has the obligation to protect civilians from all violence."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Israeli military launched large-scale airstrikes on the West Bank of the Jordan River over two days starting from the 3rd, under the pretext of rooting out Palestinian armed groups. Targeting the Jenin refugee camp, home to 18,000 residents, the Israeli military deployed the largest force in over 20 years since the Palestinian armed uprising (Intifada) in 2000. The operation involved military bulldozers, ground troops, and even drone missiles.

The relentless bombing resulted in numerous casualties and displaced persons. Streets and buildings in the Jenin refugee camp, covering approximately 250 acres (about 1,012,000 square meters), were destroyed. According to the United Nations and the Palestinian Authority (PA) Ministry of Health, at least 13 Palestinians were killed and over 120 injured in this operation. The number of displaced persons is estimated to be around 4,000, about one-quarter of the entire population of the Jenin refugee camp.

Earlier, UN human rights experts also issued a statement harshly condemning the Israeli airstrikes as "a gross violation of international law and standards on the use of force and a war crime." Three experts representing human rights, refugee rights, and sexual violence in Palestine criticized Israel for continuously exercising violence to illegally and permanently occupy Palestinian territory.

Since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power in coalition with far-right forces, the Israel-Palestine conflict zone has become a powder keg in the Middle East. This year alone, more than 150 Palestinians have died in military clashes between Israel and Palestine in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip, resulting in the largest loss of life in history.