Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas made Wednesday a rare visit to the occupied West Bank's Jenin refugee camp, his first since 2005, in the wake of a devastating Israeli operation last week.
Abbas arrived in the city aboard a Jordanian helicopter from Ramallah city, according to the official Palestinian Television station.
Abbas was received by Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh alongside other officials upon arrival in Jenin.
The Palestinian leader then visited the Jenin Martyrs Cemetery, where the bodies of Palestinians killed during last week’s military raid were buried. There he described the camp as an "icon of struggle."
Several top officials of Abbas's Fatah party, including deputy chairman Mahmoud Aloul, had visited the camp soon after the raid, only to be heckled by crowds of angry residents.
On Wednesday, Abbas expressed determination to back Jenin's reconstruction and security.
He described the camp as an "icon of steadfastness and struggle," in a short address as crowds of supporters cheered.
"We have come to say that we are one authority, one state, one law," he said, warning against anyone who "tampers with the unity and security of our people".
He further vowed to oversee the reconstruction of the camp and the city to restore it "to what it was or even better".
Wednesday’s visit is the first by Abbas to Jenin since 2012.
Abbas usually does not make any visits to Palestinian cities except for Bethlehem for Christmas.
Last week, Israel concluded its largest military operation in Jenin in more than 20 years.
At least 12 Palestinians were killed, including five children, and more than 140 injured in the offensive, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
The raid also left a massive trail of destruction across the West Bank city, with dozens of homes, vehicles, shops, and utility lines destroyed.
