Israel’s Moral Abyss
By Kasturi Chakraborty
Invasion, Morality, and Violence in Jenin
No sooner had a fragile ceasefire taken hold in Gaza than another front of Israeli violence widened in the occupied West Bank. The contrast in scenes could not be more striking: while some in Gaza tried to sift through the rubble in the wake of bombings, families in Jenin were forced to flee their homes under the roar of military bulldozers, drones, and live fire.
The ongoing Israeli military operation in Jenin, dubbed “Iron Wall,” has plunged the refugee camp and surrounding areas into a humanitarian catastrophe, marking one of the most severe escalations in the occupied West Bank in decades. Since January 21, 2025, the operation has resulted in the deaths of at least 25 Palestinians in Jenin alone, with over 70 killed across the occupied West Bank this year. One particularly tragic case involves two-and-a-half-year-old Leila Mohammed Ayman Al-Khatib, who was reportedly shot in the head by an Israeli sniper during a raid on Muthalath Al-Shuhada, a village south of Jenin. Nearly 90% of Jenin camp’s population—approximately 20,000 residents—has been forcibly displaced, leaving the area desolate and turning it into what many describe as a ghost town.
The scale of destruction and displacement mirrors the devastation seen in Gaza during previous offensives. The Israeli government justifies its actions by claiming that the operation targets “terrorist infrastructure”. However, the realities on the ground tell a different story. Entire neighborhoods have been razed through controlled detonations, with over 120 buildings destroyed, including residential blocks that housed thousands of families. Roads have been torn apart, water lines severed, and hospital access blocked.
Why does Israel do this? Because it can. Over the last year, Israel has been empowered to act without restraint or morality facing no international consequences for the mass destruction of cities and Palestinian casualties that everyone on the world stage deems unacceptable.
The situation is further aggravated by a surge in settler violence across the occupied West Bank. Armed settlers have attacked Palestinian villages under the watchful eyes of Israeli forces, burning homes and orchards and targeting communities with impunity. This dual assault—military operations on one side and settler aggression on the other—appears to be part of a broader strategy to depopulate Palestinian areas and expand Israeli control. Human rights organizations have condemned these actions as state-sanctioned ethnic cleansing.
Why Jenin’s Residents Resist
Jenin Governmental Hospital is under siege, with its main entrance bulldozed leaving aid workers no choice but to use agricultural tractors to bring in water and fuel. These measures have worsened an already critical humanitarian crisis, forcing displaced families to go without shelter, food, or other basic necessities.
For Jenin’s residents, this is not an isolated tragedy but part of a long history of displacement and dispossession. Many are second or third-generation refugees who were forced out of their ancestral homes decades ago. Their determination to remain on their land despite overwhelming odds reflects a deep-seated resistance to further marginalization. But their resilience is being tested as they face not only physical destruction but also psychological trauma from years of living under occupation.
The international response to this crisis has been inadequate at best. While organizations like UNRWA and Doctors Without Borders have provided emergency aid—delivering fuel, water, and medical supplies—the need scale far outstrips available resources. The United Nations has criticized Israel’s heavy-handed tactics as potentially unlawful but has failed to take concrete action to hold it accountable. Meanwhile, far-right elements within Israel’s government continue to push for more aggressive measures under the guise of ensuring security.
Jenin as a Litmus Test for Global Conscience
The parallels between Jenin’s current plight and past conflicts in Gaza are striking. Both regions have been subjected to relentless military campaigns that destroy infrastructure and displace thousands under the pretext of combating militancy. Yet these operations do little to address the root causes of violence: decades of occupation, systemic inequality, and the denial of Palestinian self-determination. Instead, they perpetuate a cycle of suffering that leaves both Palestinians and Israelis trapped in an endless conflict.
The humanitarian toll is staggering. Families are crammed into overcrowded shelters or hosted by relatives who are themselves struggling to make ends meet. Children are unable to attend school as educational facilities remain closed due to ongoing military operations. Hospitals operate at reduced capacity amid shortages of medical supplies and electricity.
Parents struggling to shield their children from the terrors of bullets and bombs, elders who remember past invasions, and teenagers whose futures hang in the balance—all are trapped in a system dominated by force. The time for empty rhetoric has passed. A ceasefire in Gaza does not absolve the occupying power from accountability in the occupied West Bank, nor does it grant free rein for settler vigilantism.
Understanding their plight demands empathy and an insistence on accountability for abuses. It also demands a reevaluation of the status quo that has allowed the Israeli occupation to persist for more than half a century. Independent investigations should be conducted into allegations of war crimes committed during Operation Iron Wall, with perpetrators held responsible regardless of their political affiliations. Efforts must be made to end settlement expansion and roll back existing settlements that violate international law. This includes providing reparations to displaced Palestinians and ensuring their right to return to their homes. Without addressing these structural issues, any attempt at peace will be superficial at best.
Although the media’s attention to this issue often falls short, those of us in journalism who raise our voices in solidarity with Palestinians do so out of a conviction that every person has the right to live safely in their home, free from the fear of midnight raids or aerial bombardments. Recognizing that Palestinian fury is fueled by systematic oppression compels us to look beyond the simplistic narrative of security operations and examine the humanity at stake. Violence cannot be the default solution to every Israeli-Palestinian problem.
If genuine peace is the goal, it requires addressing the deep political injustices that have relegated Palestinians to second-class citizens in their land. It demands confronting the injustice at its root: the systematic denial of political and civil rights that erodes any sense of shared humanity.
Jenin’s tragedy is not just a local issue. Allowing such atrocities to continue unchecked sets a dangerous precedent. The question is: How long will we allow political expediency to outweigh human dignity?
