Skip to main content

Broken walls, crushed cars: Jenin assesses damage of Israeli raid

The Israeli army Wednesday declared the end of a two-day military operation in the Jenin area
— Jenin (Palestinian Territories) (AFP)

As Israeli forces pulled out of Jenin, its Palestinian residents came back to assess the devastation: trashed homes, charred cars and roads strewn with rubble, glass and bullet casings.

The West Bank city and militant stronghold has endured violence before, but the latest offensive was the heaviest in years, with air strikes hitting buildings and armoured bulldozers ripping up streets.

Siham al-Naaja, 53, returned to her apartment in the Jenin refugee camp Wednesday to find the windows smashed, furniture upturned, pictures ripped off walls and belongings scattered across the floor.

"There's no electricity, there's no water, there's nothing," she said about the city where many buildings were pockmarked from the gunshots.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 for annual access.