TEHRAN - Palestinian resistance factions are confronting attempts by the Israeli military to invade the occupied West Bank, specifically in Jenin and its refugee camp, where they are engaged in fierce clashes, using machine guns and explosive devices.

In the latest battlefield developments, armed clashes were renewed in the eastern neighborhood of Jenin after Israeli forces resumed their invasion on Saturday morning as part of an ongoing assault on the city and its camp.

The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in Jenin announced they were engaged in fierce clashes with Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on all combat fronts in the city. 

The brigades stated they inflicted “direct casualties on the enemy” with the use of machine guns and explosive devices.

They also ambushed an Israeli foot patrol in the Jabriyat neighborhood of Jenin. Israeli media acknowledged the death of a soldier and the injury of others in the ambush.

Footage has circulated in Jabriyat of Israeli helicopters seen flying at low altitudes to evacuate the wounded.

Additionally, the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades set another ambush for an Israeli infantry unit in the Damaj neighborhood of Jenin, causing casualties among its members.

Reports from the West Bank said that at least one Israeli soldier was injured in the ambush, with his condition described as critical.

Reports indicate that Israeli forces “besieged a house in Damaj and shelled it with an Energa grenade,” while Israeli military helicopters heavily patrolled the neighborhood’s airspace as the IOF raided numerous homes.

Reports also said the IOF arrested Khalid al-Hassan, a member of the Legislative Council, from the Jabriyat neighborhood. 

The al-Quds Brigades in Jenin announced that their fighters successfully detonated a pre-planted explosive device on a military vehicle in Jabriyat. 

Israeli media said the Palestinian resistance had used rocket-propelled grenades against the IOF for the first time since the invasion of the northern West Bank began four days ago. 

Armed clashes also erupted in the Mahyoub Street in the Jenin refugee camp, while Israeli forces besieged a house in the town of Kafr Dan eight kilometers west of the city. The sounds of loud gunfire were heard by reporters. 

The al-Qassam Brigades confirmed that their fighters were defending Kafr Dan amid heavy armed confrontations with an Israeli military unit. 

Meanwhile, the al-Mujahideen Brigades in Jenin stated that their fighters targeted Israeli military concentrations on Nablus Street with two powerful explosive devices.

The IOF continues to besiege the Jenin government hospital, obstructing the work of medics and ambulances. The IOF has also conducted raids and destroyed a large number of homes in the city’s eastern neighborhood, according to journalists. 

In al-Khalil, also known as Hebron, Israeli forces stormed the Jabal Abu Rumman area as the IOF set up military checkpoints along the road leading to Bethlehem, closing most of al-Khalil’s entrances.

Additionally, the IOF closed down the Ibrahimi Mosque in al-Khalil and prevented Palestinians from entering it, while storming the Bab al-Zawiya area in the old city. 

This comes after two operations targeted the illegal settlements of Gush Etzion and Karmei Tzur near al-Khalil in the southern West Bank on Friday night, which included car bombings and clashes. 

The spokesperson for the IOF acknowledged in a statement that “two security incidents occurred among the Gush Etzion Brigade,” where a car exploded in Gush Etzion to “lure the forces,” and “upon their arrival, a gunman opened fire, injuring two.”  

The Israeli channel Makan confirmed that four Israelis were injured.

The Hebrew-language newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, citing Israeli security agencies, revealed that “the perpetrators drove two cars on Route 60, with one heading to the gas station in Gush Etzion and the other towards Karmei Tzur.”

The Israeli Army radio confirmed that the commander of the Etzion Brigade was injured, noting that he is a senior officer with the rank of colonel, in the car bombing operation in Gush Etzion, along with another soldier. 

Following this operation, the IOF imposed a siege on the al-Khalil governorate, announcing more reinforcements to the Karmei Tzur settlement, along with the expansion of checkpoints and military sweeps in the area.

Late on Tuesday night, Israeli occupation forces staged wide-scale aggression on the West Bank, raiding and bombing Tulkarm, Tubas, Jenin, and Nablus.  

Since Wednesday, the Palestinian resistance has continued to confront the IOF, which is currently invading Jenin and its refugee camp, in addition to a series of raids in areas of the southern and central West Bank.

On Thursday, Tel Aviv announced the end of its operations in Tubas and Tulkarm, leaving behind a trail of blood and destroyed properties and infrastructure.

Tulkarm’s Nur Shams refugee camp saw the most damage to residential buildings and the camp’s vital infrastructure.