The silence hangs heavy in Jenin, broken only by the crack of gunfire, as residents huddle in their homes and shops remain shuttered for the 16th consecutive day.
The refugee camp, situated in the northern occupied West Bank, came under siege by Palestinian Authority (PA) forces on 6 December.
Armed officials carried out a deadly raid on 14 December, killing Yazid Ja’ayseh, a commander in the Jenin Brigades, an alliance of different Palestinian armed groups.
A statement from the Palestinian Authority titled the operation 'Protect the Homeland,' describing it as part of a campaign to by targeting what they referred to as “outlaws” and “militants” who have taken control of the camp.
Palestinian experts who spoke to °®Âţµş, however, contend that the PA operation is aimed at “completely dismantling” armed resistance groups, particularly the Jenin Brigades.
Jenin has long been a stronghold of resistance against the Israeli occupation, frequently targeted by Israeli raids. In August, Israeli forces laid siege to the camp for 10 days, killing dozens of Palestinians. The simmering tensions between Palestinian security forces and armed factions in Jenin are far from new, but they reached a boiling point earlier this month.
Following the PA’s encroachment on the camp, security forces arrested a member of the Jenin Brigades on 6 December and confiscated a sum of money in his possession. The battalion demanded his release and the return of the money.
When Palestinian authorities refused, armed militants retaliated by seizing two government vehicles, escalating the confrontation into a direct firefight. The following day, the Palestinian security apparatus launched its military operation in earnest.
In addition to Ja’ayseh, the second casualty of the crackdown was Rahbi Shalabi, a 19-year-old Palestinian man, who was reportedly shot and killed while riding a motorcycle in Jenin’s al-Hadaf neighbourhood.
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Palestinian authorities later that their forces had been injured in an explosion targeting a security vehicle and said they had dismantled explosives planted near hospitals, schools, and the camp’s perimeter.
Efforts to reach the official spokesman for the Palestinian security forces, Brigadier General Anwar Rajab, were unsuccessful. However, in a released Monday, Rajab highlighted the operation’s objectives.
“The security apparatus remains resolute in its mission to impose order, uphold the rule of law, and pursue outlaws throughout the West Bank,” the statement read. “We have made significant progress in implementing our carefully prepared plan.”
Rajab’s statement also added that authorities have arrested many of those who “terrorised the camp, weaponising violence, extortion, and ill-gotten money to intimidate [...] people”.
He vowed that the operation would continue until its goals were achieved, including the arrest of wanted individuals and the restoration of stability to the camp.
Armed groups push back
Members of the Jenin Brigades reject the security forces’ characterisation of their activities.
“Our weapons are not for crime or extortion,” a senior leader of the battalion told °®Âţµş on condition of anonymity. “Our guns are for resistance, for confronting the Israeli occupation that storms Jenin again and again.”
He accused Palestinian security forces of “undermining the resistance” under the pretext of enforcing law and order.
“Who stands in the face of the Israeli army when they invade the camp?” he asked. “Is it not us, the battalion and the other armed factions?”
According to the leader, Palestinian authorities have offered the militants only one option: surrender their weapons and turn themselves in for trial.
“That is an offer we cannot accept,” he said.
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Kifah Amouri, a spokeswoman for the Mothers of Martyrs, a group of women who lost their sons to the conflict in Jenin camp, described the situation as “dire”.
“The camp is surrounded on all sides, snipers are deployed around us, and we hear gunfire intermittently,” she told a local reporter.
Amouri said residents fear the campaign because “the weapons are Palestinian, and those being targeted are sons of families here”.
“My son is a martyr. My other son is injured and held by Israeli authorities, and we know nothing about him. All of this happened during the defence of the camp,” she said. “The camp’s weapons are the weapons of the resistance; there are no outlaws here.”
She added that “the young men” carry the legacy of martyrs, prisoners, and the wounded, noting that the fighters come from various factions, and some “belong to none at all”.
“They carry weapons for resistance alone. The camp has always been a rock against the occupation,” she said.
Fear of collapse
Ahmad Abu Al-Heija, a political analyst based in Jenin, said the operation reflects “disarray within the PA”.
“What is happening now stems from a lack of clear strategy by the PA in dealing with the West Bank,” he said. “The authority is engaged in a battle for survival, fearing collapse, which compels it to cling to security coordination until the very last moment, no matter the cost.”
Abu Al-Heija also argued that the PA is out of touch with the reality on the ground, attempting to project an illusion of authority at a critical moment when Palestinians must “build resistance strongholds to counter the sprawling settlement project”.
“They want to prove they can maintain security to avoid being seen as incapable of governing Gaza,” he said. “The military campaign unfolding in Jenin might weaken the resistance, but it won’t eradicate it.”
He also highlighted the growing public resentment, as the people of Jenin oppose “the PA’s operation” and view dialogue as the “only viable solution”.
“What happens after Jenin? Surely, the next targets will be Nur Shams, Tulkarem, Tubas, and al-Far’a,” he added.
Suleiman Basharat, director of the Yabous Center for Studies, told °®Âţµş that the situation in Jenin reflects “a deeper institutional vacuum” in Palestinian governance.
“What we are witnessing is a consequence of the absence of institutional leadership, largely due to the failure to hold elections,” Basharat said. “Powers and responsibilities are concentrated in the executive branch, while key bodies like the Palestinian Legislative Council and political factions remain inactive.”
Additionally, Israeli policies have “eroded” the Palestinian Authority’s ability to assert its authority over the West Bank, according to Basharat. The situation “serves Israel’s interests”.
He also warned of a worsening crisis if the situation in Jenin is not addressed.
“Without meaningful efforts to contain the conflict, the future may see not only continued political division but also societal fragmentation among Palestinians,” he said.
This article is published in collaboration with .