Israel demolishes dozens of buildings in West Bank (VIDEO)
The Israel Defense Force (IDF) demolished dozens of buildings in the city of Jenin in the north of the West Bank on Sunday. Videos that have surfaced on social media show the structures being destroyed by a series of powerful explosions.
The move is part of a “counterterrorist operation” launched by West Jerusalem nearly two weeks ago. According to the Jerusalem Post, the destruction of the buildings was ordered by Defense Minister Israel Katz, who has reportedly demanded that any building linked to “terrorist activity” be obliterated.
According to the WAFA news agency, which is linked to the Palestinian Authority, the demolished structures were mostly multistory residential buildings. “A large number of families” have been displaced, the media outlet claimed. The blasts that rocked the area also damaged a local hospital, its director, Wisam Baker, told the agency, adding that no casualties had been reported in the wake of the demolitions.
Videos that surfaced on social media showed a series explosions rocking what appears to be a single neighborhood in Jenin, with plumes of smoke and dust rising in the air as powerful blasts rock the area.
The IDF confirmed destroying a total of 23 structures, according to the Jerusalem Post.
The Israeli military has also reported carrying out ground operations, including in the West Bank town of Tammun, where they claimed to have killed at least 50 “terrorists” and arrested at least 100 “suspects.”
According to WAFA, 25 Palestinians have been killed and dozens more injured in the two weeks since the Israeli operation in Jenin began. Some 15,000 people have been forcibly displaced from the Jenin refugee camp and nearby areas. The IDF has also reportedly destroyed the local water supply lines. West Jerusalem has not commented on the claims.
Dubbed the ‘Iron Wall’, the new Israeli campaign in the West Bank was launched just days after a ceasefire agreement was reached with Hamas in Gaza following a conflict that lasted for more than a year. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated at that time that the goal was to “eradicate terrorism” in the area as part of a systematic and resolute effort to target the “Iranian axis wherever it sends its arms.”
