A Palestinian checks the damages following the Israeli military operation in the West Bank city of Jenin, July 6, 2023. (Photo by Nidal Eshtayeh/Xinhua)
RAMALLAH, July 6 (Xinhua) -- When Ahmed al-Saady returned to his neighborhood in Jenin after the deadly Israeli raids, he was shocked by what he saw.
"The streets were bulldozed, the sewage pipes were blown up, vehicles were burned, and most of our houses were completely or partially destroyed and became inhabitable," the 47-year-old Palestinian man described the scene to Xinhua.
"The Israeli army decided to turn the place upside down to double our suffering," the man said as he searched for the remains of his own belongings under the rubble of his house.
Al-Saady's eight-member family is not able to live in their home anymore, and they have no idea when they will be compensated to rebuild the house.
"What were our faults that Israel decided to punish us like this; we are just civilians who are looking to live normal lives just like others around the world," he said.
Israel said the raid was targeting the infrastructure of Palestinian militants who launched some 50 attacks against Israelis over the past year.
Siham al-Najaa, a 62-year-old woman, whose house was also severely damaged as a result of the raid, said many of her neighbors became displaced while others had to struggle to resume their life.
She noted that the scene in the camp reminds them of 2002, when fierce fighting in the Jenin camp killed 52 Palestinians and 23 Israeli soldiers, while more than 400 homes were destroyed and hundreds of families were displaced, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA).
According to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, the latest Israeli military operation in Jenin has left 13 Palestinians killed and at least 150 others wounded, including 30 in critical condition.
Jenin is located in the northern West Bank, 75 km away from Jerusalem, while its camp was established in 1953 on the southern western edge of the city. It has a population of about 14,000 refugees living in an area of 420 dunams (0.42 sq km).
Nidal Obeidi, the Mayor of Jenin, told Xinhua that the scale of devastation in the camp is too large to deal with, adding that his municipality is coordinating with all partners, from the Palestinian ministries to the municipalities of West Bank cities, to restore the life in the territory.
Moreover, popular campaigns were launched in most cities, villages, towns and camps of the West Bank to collect material and in-kind donations of foodstuffs, medicine, water and infant formula for those affected in the Jenin camp. ■
A Palestinian checks the damages following the Israeli military operation in the West Bank city of Jenin, July 6, 2023. (Photo by Nidal Eshtayeh/Xinhua)
A Palestinian checks the damages following the Israeli military operation in the West Bank city of Jenin, July 6, 2023. (Photo by Nidal Eshtayeh/Xinhua)
