For the 55th consecutive day, Israeli occupation forces have continued their brutal assault on Jenin and its refugee camp, carrying out demolitions, home burnings, and military takeovers of residential buildings. The ongoing offensive has resulted in the killing of 34 Palestinians, the injury of dozens more, and widespread destruction of infrastructure.
Israeli forces have deliberately set fire to homes, including the residence of Samir Al-Noursi on Freedom Theatre Street in Jenin refugee camp. The attack was accompanied by heavily armed foot patrols in the camp’s main square, as well as the deployment of flares around Al-Zahraa School.
Adding to the humanitarian crisis, Israeli forces blocked the entrance to Jenin Governmental Hospital with dirt barriers, obstructing medical teams and patients in a blatant violation of the right to access healthcare. Meanwhile, military reinforcements and armoured vehicles remain stationed throughout Jenin’s streets, particularly around the refugee camp.
Occupation forces have also used bulldozers to destroy roads and widen pathways to facilitate the movement of military vehicles, leading to the total destruction of approximately 120 homes and severe damage to dozens of others.
The scale of devastation has forced nearly 20,000 Palestinians to flee from Jenin refugee camp, exacerbating the humanitarian catastrophe, as the siege and restrictions on movement continue to intensify.
Beyond Jenin, Israeli forces expanded their operations into Jalboun, north of the city, where they seized civilian homes and turned them into military outposts. Similar incursions took place in Qabatiya, Bir Al-Basha, and Ya’bad, with military convoys terrorising residents as they moved through the streets.
According to international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention, the demolition of homes, forced displacement, and the militarisation of civilian properties constitute serious violations. The Convention explicitly prohibits the destruction of private property, except in cases of absolute military necessity, a criterion that Israel’s actions in Jenin clearly do not meet.
Moreover, the targeting of medical facilities and blocking access to healthcare is a direct violation of Article 18 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which mandates the protection of hospitals and medical services. Additionally, forced displacement is classified as a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The systematic atrocities committed by Israeli forces in Jenin reflect a calculated strategy to suppress its residents and forcibly impose new realities on the ground, in open defiance of international law and fundamental human rights. These ongoing violations demand urgent international intervention to halt the aggression, protect Palestinian civilians, and hold Israel accountable for its war crimes.
