Mayor of Jenin, Mohammad Jarar, announced that the ongoing Israeli assault on Jenin city and its refugee camp, now in its 129th day, has resulted in over $300 million in direct damages across the governorate, including the town of Qabatiya.
اضافة اعلان
In a phone call with the Palestinian News Agency WAFA, Jarar stated that the municipality had compiled a comprehensive report detailing only the direct damages, which amounted to $300 million. He noted that Israeli forces are preventing municipal teams from entering the camp to assess damage to buildings and infrastructure. However, initial estimates suggest the entire camp requires reconstruction, with over 600 housing units completely destroyed and the remainder severely damaged.
“The camp is no longer livable,” said Jarar. “Rebuilding it will cost approximately $160 million, according to a professional assessment by the municipality.”
He detailed that Israel has destroyed road, water, electricity, and sewage networks, burned and partially demolished homes, and that residents cannot return unless full reconstruction takes place.
The economic toll has also been devastating:
1,200 businesses have gone bankrupt,
4,000 workers have lost their livelihoods,
The city has lost 50,000–70,000 daily shoppers who used to come from surrounding villages,
Economic paralysis threatens the collapse of services in Jenin.
The municipality's emergency plan focuses on restoring road access to reconnect Jenin with surrounding areas and with visitors from Palestinian citizens of Israel via the Jalama crossing, should it reopen consistently.
Jarar emphasized that restoring basic utilities like water and electricity has been a priority. The city has already begun repaving key roads, including Nasser Street, Al-Bayader Street, and the road leading to Ibn Sina Hospital, and is repairing half of the eastern sewage network at a cost of 17 million shekels.
As for Jenin Governmental Hospital, which Israeli forces have surrounded with dirt mounds, the municipality has worked since the beginning of the assault to ensure minimal water and electricity supply, in coordination with hospital administration. However, ambulances struggle to reach the hospital, and access for patients remains severely restricted.
In the field, Israeli forces continue daily incursions, including:
Arrest of two brothers in the village of Seerist,
Another arrest in the town of al-Jadeedah,
Demolition of property in the eastern part of Jenin city.
About 22,000 residents have been displaced from the camp and its surroundings — a 25% displacement rate, which Jarar said poses immense humanitarian, economic, and environmental challenges.
According to the Palestinian Prisoners Club, around 1,000 residents of Jenin and Tulkarm have been detained over the past four months, many of whom were later released.
The ongoing assault has resulted in 40 martyrs and over 200 injuries in Jenin alone.
