Israeli forces appeared to have withdrawn from the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank on Friday, following a weeklong military operation that resulted in dozens of deaths and significant destruction.
Overnight, Israeli armored personnel carriers were observed departing the camp from a checkpoint on a main road.
By early Friday morning, an Associated Press (AP) reporter inside the camp found no remaining troops.
The Israeli military had no immediate comment but indicated that a statement would be issued later in the day.
It remains unclear whether the withdrawal is a temporary move to regroup forces.
Hundreds of Israeli troops have been involved for more than a week in what has been their deadliest operation in the occupied West Bank since the Israel-Hamas conflict began, employing what the United Nations called “lethal warlike tactics.”
Their focus has been the Jenin refugee camp.
Conflict in Jenin accounts for 21 of 39 Palestinians that have been killed during the Israeli push in the West Bank.
The fighting has had a devastating effect on Palestinian civilians living in Jenin.
Water and electricity services have been cut, families have been confined to their homes, and ambulances evacuating the wounded have been slowed on their way to nearby hospitals.
On Friday morning, Jenin residents took advantage of the lull to sift through the rubble of destroyed buildings and assess the damage.
Twisted rebar protruded from the concrete of collapsed buildings, and walls still standing were pockmarked by bullets and shrapnel.
During the operation, Israeli military officials said they were targeting Hamas members in Jenin, Tulkarem and the al-Faraa refugee camp to curb recent attacks against Israeli civilians that they say have become more sophisticated and deadly.
It was not immediately clear whether troops were also being removed from the other two camps.
The war in Gaza began when Hamas staged an incursion on southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people. Hamas is believed to still be holding more than 100 hostages.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and more than 94,000 more have been wounded since the start of the war.
Israel has been under increasing pressure from the U.S. and other allies to reach a cease-fire deal in Gaza.
Still, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists on a demand that has emerged as a major sticking point in talks – continued Israeli control of the Philadelphi corridor, a narrow band along Gaza’s border with Egypt.
Hamas has accused Israel of dragging out months of negotiations by issuing new demands, including for lasting Israeli control over both the Philadelphi corridor and a second corridor running across Gaza.
Hamas has offered to release all hostages in return for an end to the war, the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the release of a large number of Palestinian prisoners, including high-profile members – broadly the terms outlined in a deal proposed by U.S. President Joe Biden in July.
