IDF conducts first raid in Jenin since last month's Operation Home & Garden

Israel Defense Forces soldiers and Border Police officers conducted an operation in Jenin on Monday morning, marking the first raid since Operation Home and Garden last month.

During the operation, two Hamas-affiliated terrorists – Fathi al-Atum and Rabia al-Sanuri – were arrested, according to Palestinian news sources. The IDF also reported an exchange of fire with terrorists. No IDF injuries were reported.

The operation in Jenin comes one day after Hamas called for an increase in resistance to take advantage of the “unprecedented internal conflict” within Israel due to the contentious judicial reform debate.

It is also less than three weeks since Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas visited the city of Jenin and stated that he would not disarm terror groups operating there.

After the IDF withdrew from the Jenin refugee camp following the raid's conclusion on July 5, the Palestinian Authority (PA) allegedly made several attempts to restore governance in the area of northern Samaria, which has become a base for Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other terror groups.

Jenin has been a consistent hub of conflict between Israeli forces and terror groups between 2000 and 2005, the Second Intifada when fierce fighting in the Jenin refugee camp led to Palestinian accusations of genocide attempts.

Despite Palestinian's false reports that hundreds of civilians were killed, the city became a key symbol of resistance among the Palestinian terror groups. Extremist organizations associated with different factions in Palestinian society have cooperated in Jenin, fighting together to combat the IDF's operations to eradicate terror cells.

Israel limited its operations around Jenin since the recent operation to allow the PA an opportunity to police the area themselves. While Abbas’ visit to Jenin earlier this month was intended to demonstrate the PA's governance of the area, residents reportedly have little respect for the PA.

The IDF has indicated that it will act whenever it feels that PA activity in the region is insufficient.

Monday morning’s operation took place within the city of Jenin itself, but not the volatile Jenin refugee camp, which was the focus of Operation Home and Garden.

The Israeli military has not ruled out the potential for another large-scale operation in the Jenin camp if terror groups begin to rebuild infrastructure.

Earlier this month, the Hebrew news outlet, Yedioth Ahronoth, reported that terror groups had begun trying to rebuild facilities destroyed during Operation Home and Garden.

"Terrorism is not thwarted in one operation. Jenin must be entered in order to carry out these operations from time to time, and to thwart attempts to rehabilitate terrorism in the refugee camp. The time is coming when we will have to go in there again,” a security official told the news site.