Mutasim Samara, a specialist in Israeli affairs, made statements to the Safa news agency in which he estimated that even though the militias lost numerous weapons and several bomb-making sites were destroyed, the occupation forces did not achieve their goal, on the contrary, the resistance gained more popular support.
According to Samara, the militiamen achieved a moral triumph, and Israel will not repeat the assault. Israel will now push its strategy of targeted killings, whether through drones or agents on the ground, in order to minimize both human and material losses, he said.
Analyst Amin Abu Warda explained that “the 48-hour assault on Jenin ended in catastrophic failure despite the use of all its weapons with high-level political cover.” The popular support showed that the resistance is present in the Palestinian streets, he stated, and considered that the government of Israel will face international pressure as a result of its crimes.
About a thousand soldiers and 150 armored vehicles launched on Monday the largest military operation in the West Bank in recent years with the argument of destroying “a nest of terrorists”, as Israel describes the Palestinian militias.
Twelve Palestinians were killed, five of them underage, and more than 140 were injured during two days of offensive. An Israeli soldier also lost his life.
According to the spokesman for the Jenin Municipality, Bashir Matahen, hundreds of houses were destroyed or damaged by the IDF both in the city and in the refugee camp.
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