Image Credits - Los Angeles Times
The Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Public Works and Housing has started the daunting task of cleaning up and rebuilding a refugee camp in the northern West Bank city of Jenin following several days of destructive Israeli military raids.
In a statement on Saturday, Minister Ahed Bseiso said crews have begun opening blocked roads, removing rubble and assessing the “severe” damage to infrastructure like roads, buildings, shops and the electricity network caused by Israeli forces during their invasion of the Jenin refugee camp over the past few days.
“The damage is severe and includes roads, buildings and shops, and the electricity network,” Bseiso stated, adding that residents whose homes were destroyed in the Israeli onslaught are being provided alternative accommodations while reconstruction takes place.
The Jenin refugee camp has been a flashpoint of tensions, with Israel carrying out frequent raids it says are aimed at arresting militants. However, the latest Israeli offensive has sparked international outcry over the extent of the destruction in the densely populated camp.
United Nations officials have condemned the Israeli actions, with the UN’s Mideast envoy Tor Wennesland issuing a statement expressing “grave concern about the continuing cycle of violence in Jenin.”
The rebuilding efforts come amid heightened violence across the occupied West Bank in recent months. So far this year, over 90 Palestinians have been killed, making 2024 the deadliest in the territory since 2015.
Palestinian leaders have blamed the escalating bloodshed on Israel’s tough military measures and expanding settlements, which they view as a major obstacle to resolving the decades-old conflict.
