Jenin Refugee Camp in Ruins: Over 3,200 Homes Uninhabitable After Ongoing Israeli Assault
Palestinian officials warn of a humanitarian catastrophe as Israeli forces destroy infrastructure, displace thousands, and escalate military operations in the northern West Bank.
Watan-Mohammad Jarar, the mayor of Jenin in the northern West Bank, said on Wednesday that all residential units inside the city’s refugee camp — totaling 3,250 — are now uninhabitable after being either completely or partially destroyed or burned during the ongoing Israeli military operation that began on January 21.
Jarar added: “The situation in the Jenin camp is extremely catastrophic. Israeli bulldozers continue to operate, demolishing, blowing up, and burning Palestinian homes.”
He noted that Israel rejected a petition submitted by Palestinian parties regarding plans to demolish 93 residential buildings, saying: “We expect the demolition to be carried out at any moment.”
He explained that these buildings include “around 300 housing units, and if the demolition decision is implemented, we will be facing a real disaster in the camp,” as he put it.
“Jenin Camp Left in Ruins as Israeli Assault Continues”
He confirmed that Israel has completely destroyed the infrastructure of the Jenin camp, adding: “All of the camp’s buildings, including the 3,250 units, are either fully or partially destroyed or burned.”
He continued: “The camp has become completely uninhabitable. We are in need of genuine reconstruction. Jenin and its camp have been subjected to several Israeli operations over the past years.”
Jarar pointed out that a specialized committee estimated the losses of Jenin city and its camp from the ongoing military operation at around 310 million US dollars.
In this context, he noted that Israel has forced more than a thousand Palestinians to leave their homes in neighborhoods surrounding the camp.
He said: “There are also hundreds of families who have voluntarily left neighborhoods near the camp out of fear for their safety and their children.”
“Israel Expands West Bank Assault Amid Gaza Genocide”
Israel continues its military assault on the Jenin and Tulkarm governorates (in the north) since January 21, including systematic arrest and field interrogation operations targeting dozens of families, in addition to converting homes into military outposts.
Palestinian authorities warn that the widespread and destructive Israeli aggression is part of a plan by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to annex the West Bank and declare sovereignty over it, which they say could represent a formal declaration of the death of the two-state solution.
Since launching its war of extermination on the Gaza Strip, the Israeli occupation army and settlers have escalated their assaults in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, leading to the killing of over 938 Palestinians, injuring nearly 7,000, and arresting 15,700, according to official Palestinian data.
With U.S. support, Israel has committed genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, resulting in more than 164,000 Palestinians killed or wounded, most of them women and children, and over 14,000 reported missing.
