Battle of Jenin (2002)

Battle of Jenin
	Part of Operation Defensive Shield and the Second Intifada
	; Aerial photograph of the battle area in Jenin, taken two days after the battle ended
Date	April 1–11, 2002 (Israeli troop withdrawal began April 18)
Location	Jenin, Israeli-occupied West Bank
Result	Israeli victory
Belligerents
Israel Israel Defense Forces; ;	Palestinian Authority Fatah Preventive Security Force; Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades; Tanzim; ; Hamas; Palestinian Islamic Jihad; Independent Palestinian mujahid factions; ;
Commanders and leaders
Yehuda Yedidya; Eyal Shlein; Ofek Buchris	Yosef Qabha †; Zakaria Zubeidi; Mahmoud Tawalbe †
Strength
1 reserve infantry brigade; 2 regular infantry battalions; Commando teams; 12 D9 armored bulldozers	Some 200 – several hundreds
Casualties and losses
23 dead; 52 wounded	52 dead (at least 27 militants and 22 civilians) per HRW; 53 dead (48 militants and 5 civilians) per the IDF
	Dozens of houses destroyed according to the IDF; according to HRW at least 140 buildings completely destroyed, severe damage caused 200 additional buildings rendered uninhabitable or unsafe.

The Battle of Jenin, took place in the Jenin refugee camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on April 1–11, 2002. The Israeli military invaded the camp, and other areas under the administration of the Palestinian Authority, during the Second Intifada, as part of Operation Defensive Shield.

Israeli forces employed infantry, commando forces, and assault helicopters. Palestinian militants had prepared for a fight, booby trapping locations throughout the camp, and after an Israeli column walked into an ambush, the army began to rely more heavily on the use of armored bulldozers. On April 11, Palestinian militants began to surrender. Israeli troops began withdrawing from the camp on April 18.

Despite reports of a widespread massacre numbering hundreds of casualties by some Palestinian officials, subsequent investigations found no evidence to substantiate it, and official totals from Palestinian and Israeli sources confirmed between 52 and 54 Palestinians, including civilians, and 23 Israeli soldiers as having been killed in the fighting. Israel did not allow emergency workers into the camp after the battle with Palestinian militants had ended, drawing condemnation from a UN envoy. The battle led to widespread destruction of the camp, as at least 140 buildings were completely destroyed, and severe damage was caused to 200 additional buildings rendered uninhabitable or unsafe.