Israeli bulldozers decimate Jenin in latest raid

News Desk - The Cradle 

Authorities in Jenin say the constant Israeli raids have incurred millions of dollars-worth of damages on the city

Five Palestinians were killed late on 25 November and early the next day during a brutal Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin. 

Israeli troops stormed the city “from multiple directions … while opening gunfire indiscriminately, sparking confrontations with the local residents,” WAFA news agency reported. 

At least six other Palestinians were wounded as a result of the raid in Jenin. Among the five killed were members of the Jenin Brigade, one of the West Bank branches of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement’s armed wing, the Quds Brigades. 

Fighters confronted the invading troops as they stormed Jenin, long known as a bastion of armed resistance. Israeli troops were targeted with a number of explosive devices. 

An Israeli army statement said that troops "engaged with armed terrorists and killed five of them." Israel launched a drone strike on a home inside the Jenin refugee camp. It also besieged two hospitals, as well as the headquarters of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS). 

Clashes continued to rage into the afternoon of Sunday. 

During the raid, which lasted several hours, Israeli bulldozers ravaged the infrastructure of the city and its refugee camp. Sidewalks and roads were completely destroyed. 

Israeli troops launch frequent raids into Jenin, where they regularly use bulldozers to destroy infrastructure intentionally. Entire streets and the city’s water and sewage networks have been damaged.

Israeli drone strikes on the city, which were once uncommon, have increased significantly.

“Israeli occupation authorities have deliberately been destroying the economic infrastructure of Jenin, causing losses in the millions of shekels across various sectors,” the Directorate of National Economy in the Jenin Governorate said on Sunday, according to WAFA. 

The latest raid comes as Gaza has entered its third day of a four-day truce. Israel has violated the truce agreement several times since it went into effect, including by shooting live ammunition at displaced Gazans trying to return to their homes in the north of the strip. 

Israeli forces also killed three others in the occupied West Bank since Saturday night. Since 7 October, 239 people have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces and settlers.