Israeli onslaught on Jenin in occupied West Bank mirrors its genocidal rampage in Gaza

By Alireza Akbari

Ahmed Abdelhakim Shaker Saadi, 14, was killed by an Israeli drone strike on February 1 in the eastern neighborhood of Jenin, amid ongoing ethnic cleansing in the occupied West Bank.

According to Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCIP), the strike occurred at around 5:30 p.m. local time in the courtyard of the Saadi family’s home in eastern Jenin.

The attack also claimed the life of Ahmed’s older brother, Tamam Saadi, 27, a nurse whose involvement in peace initiatives added a layer of tragedy to his death. 

The cold-blooded killings took place during an Israeli military offensive in the northern occupied West Bank, part of a so-called “Operation Iron Wall" after the military defeat in Gaza.

Ahmed and Tamam’s brutal killings bring the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in the northern occupied West Bank since the start of 2025 to over 70.

Ahmed was among 11 Palestinian children killed in the occupied West Bank this year, drawing sharp criticism from human rights activists, who say the Israeli regime’s acts of aggression in the occupied West Bank mirror its conduct in the Gaza Strip’s 15-month-long genocidal campaign.      

Of the 11 children killed in the occupied West Bank this year so far, seven were killed in Israeli drone strikes, while four others were shot and killed with live ammunition.

As of February 8, the Israeli assaults have dramatically escalated in the occupied West Bank, particularly concentrated in the Jenin Governorate, which has recorded the highest death toll at 38, followed by Tubas with 15, Nablus with 6, and Tulkarem with 5. 

Days before the Saadi family's tragedy, Israeli occupation forces shot and killed two-year-old Palestinian girl Laila Mohammad Ayman Khatib while she was dining with her family near Jenin on January 25.

According to DCIP, Laila was shot at around 8:30 p.m. local time in the Palestinian town of Muthallath Al-Shuhada, south of Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank.

She was having dinner with her mother, grandparents, and aunts when Israeli forces opened fire without warning. Four bullets pierced the living room window, one striking Laila in the back of the head.

Her grandfather rushed her to Al-Razi Hospital in Jenin, where she underwent emergency surgery but was pronounced dead around 10 p.m.

Following the killing, Ayed Abu Eqtaish, accountability program director at DCIP, condemned Israeli occupation's military offensives in the occupied West Bank.

“Israeli forces regularly and routinely carry out military operations with complete contempt for Palestinian life," he was quoted as saying.

"Little Laila was having dinner with her family when Israeli forces, unprompted, fired live ammunition into their living room, killing her. It is outrageous that the Israeli military has been permitted by world leaders to kill Palestinian children with impunity, in flagrant violations of international law."

As the death toll in the occupied West Bank—particularly in Jenin—continues to rise, with children as the main victims, activists have taken to social media to sound the alarm. The hashtag #AllEyesOnJenin has been trending on X (formerly Twitter), as Jenin turns into another Gaza.

On January 21, Israel’s military, police, and domestic spy agency, the Shin Bet, launched a large-scale, open-ended offensive in Jenin and its refugee camp. The offensive has since expanded to other areas in the northern occupied West Bank, including Tulkarem and Tammun, south of Tubas.

Much like in Gaza, Israeli occupation forces have imposed a total siege on the Jenin refugee camp, deploying hundreds of soldiers—including snipers—since the start of their offensive in the region.

Following the launch of Israel’s offensive on January 21, a wave of mass detentions swept the occupied West Bank. Dozens of Palestinians were seen being detained by Israeli forces.

On January 22, Israeli occupation forces escalated their deadly raid on Jenin, destroying infrastructure and forcibly displacing around 2,000 local people.

"We left with only the clothes on our backs, leaving everything behind," Khalil Hawli from Jenin camp, was quoted as saying, describing the forced displacement inflicted by Israeli forces.

The offensive also saw Israeli military bulldozers razing key streets, a day after ground and air strikes killed at least 10 local Palestinians across the Jenin governorate.

"The occupation army has bulldozed all the roads leading to the Jenin [refugee] camp and Jenin Government Hospital. … There is shooting and explosions," Jenin Governor Kamal Abu al-Rub told media persons at the time.

Israeli raids have also forced the displacement of several families. “Some 2,000 families displaced since mid-December. UNRWA has been unable to provide full services to the camp at this time,” Roland Friedrich, Director of UNRWA Affairs in the West Bank, said on X in late January.

The ongoing Israeli offensive has severely disrupted life in the northern occupied West Bank, restricting access to essential provisions, including healthcare and food. Most children have been unable to attend school or venture out freely.

UN Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, condemned Israel’s escalating assault on Jenin, referring to it as a “death machinery.”

“If it is not forced to stop, Israel’s genocide of Palestinians will not be confined to Gaza," she warned.

Palestinian human rights groups have also raised alarm over the alarming expansion of the Israeli military offensive into the occupied West Bank, now in its third week.

Since late January 2025, the Israeli military has carried out several aerial bombardments in densely populated civilian areas in Jenin, causing widespread destruction of infrastructure and homes.

On January 27, Israel expanded its offensive to Tulkarem, targeting Tulkarem City and the Tulkarem and Nur Shams refugee camps.

According to the UN monitoring group OCHA, around 150 to 180 homes in Jenin have been severely damaged by Israeli offensives.

The Israeli offensive on the occupied West Bank and refugee camps have become “a primary cause” of Palestinian displacement, accounting for over 40 percent of all cases documented by OCHA in 2023 and 2024—compared to less than 2 percent in the two years prior.

On February 2, the Israeli military razed nearly two dozen buildings in simultaneous bombings that echoed across much of the northern occupied West Bank. 

The assault extended to Tubas on the same day, with raids on Tammun town and Al-Far’a camp. Dozens of Palestinian families from the Al-Far’a refugee camp in southern Tubas have been displaced.

Footage of the destruction bears striking similarities to the way housing and commercial buildings in Gaza were leveled during Israel’s genocidal war on the besieged strip, which began in October 2023.

Moreover, videos of Israeli forces cheering as they carried out the bombings went viral on social media, drawing comparisons to similar displays of brutality during Israel’s war on Gaza.

Meanwhile, while the Israeli regime claims its “operations” in the occupied West Bank are aimed at combating “terrorism,” activists argue that its true objective is to widen roads to facilitate troop movement through the area.

Analysts believe that Israel has been committing the same war crimes in the occupied West Bank as it has in Gaza, including the siege of hospitals. Viral videos have shown Israeli forces besieging Jenin Governmental Hospital, one of the key healthcare centers in the occupied territories.

On February 3, Gazan political analyst and writer Muhammad Shehada drew a direct parallel between Israel’s ongoing atrocities in the occupied West Bank and its genocidal war on Gaza.

“Israel is turning Jenin into another Gaza. Cut off food and electricity, constant airstrikes, blowing up dozens of homes, ethnic cleansing, destruction of infrastructure, siege, mass arbitrary detention, media blackout,” he wrote in a post on X.

Osama Abu Rabee, a photographer from northern Gaza, also highlighted the suffering of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. In a post on X the same day, he exposed the hardships they face in burying their loved ones amid Israel’s escalating aggression.

“Today, after fourteen days of waiting, the families of Jenin camp buried their sons in adjacent graves, where each martyr became a number so their loved ones could identify them later. In a heartbreaking scene, a father returned to double-check after forgetting his son’s grave number.”

Jenin has faced severe electricity, food, and water cuts, mirroring the conditions the apartheid regime imposed on Gaza. Power outages have affected Jenin refugee camp and surrounding areas, including Jenin Hospital and Ibn Sina Hospital.

The siege has also led to food and water shortages, with sources reporting that all basic necessities, including bread, have become scarce. Residents describe the situation as one where “all basic necessities no longer exist,” underscoring the blockade’s impact on food supplies.

Jenin: The capital of Palestinian resistance

Located in the northernmost part of the occupied West Bank, Jenin has long been a symbol of Palestinian steadfastness. After Zionist forces expelled over 750,000 Palestinians in 1948 to establish the Israeli regime, thousands sought refuge in Jenin.

In 1953, the UN officially established the Jenin refugee camp to house the displaced, pending their return.

Despite spanning less than half a square kilometer, the camp became home to tens of thousands of Palestinians, many still able to see the villages they were forced to flee.

Over the decades, Jenin has remained a focal point of resistance. In defiance of Israeli occupation, its people have built schools, cultural spaces like the Freedom Theater, and grassroots networks to sustain their community.

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