ALBAWABA - The New York Times reports that Israeli forces are using Gaza-style military tactics in the West Bank. Palestinian testimonies show the rise in airstrikes and allegations of human shields in military operations.
Israel has carried out roughly 50 airstrikes in Jenin since August, a rarity in the West Bank. These attacks indicate a shift in Israeli military strategy, worrying experts and humanitarian organizations.
Over the past year, these bombings have killed over 180 Palestinians, including dozens of children, according to the UN and Al-Haq. Roads, electricity, water, and sewage systems have been severely damaged by the attacks.
Local and international humanitarian organizations say Israeli soldiers have hampered aid efforts. Many now call the situation warlike, not individual attacks.
"Gazanization" is the term used to describe the growing militarization of the northern West Bank, according to Nadav Weiman, director of Breaking the Silence, an organization of former Israeli soldiers who oppose occupation tactics.
Palestinians have reported being evicted for military operations. Multiple accounts have shown Israeli forces using civilians as shields during operations.
Palestinian citizen Nasser Al-Damj told the New York Times how Israeli forces arrested him and used him as a shield during a Jenin raid. The military ordered Al-Damj to investigate a mosque after bombing it, alleging a subterranean combat zone.
Despite his objections, armed troops dragged him into a cave, gave him a drone to carry, and warned him not to break it because it was an expensive device.
UN authorities say these operations use “lethal tactics” and resemble warfare. UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Israeli officials have prevented UN assessments in Jenin.
The escalation has raised international worries about Israel's West Bank military strategy's humanitarian and security effects.
