[News] 'Bulldozer tore everything apart': Israeli invasion expands in Jenin

[Anti-Imperialist News]

english.almayadeen.net
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/-bulldozer-tore-everything-apart---israeli-invasion-expands>
'Bulldozer tore everything apart': Israeli invasion expands in Jenin
Al Mayadeen English
February 14, 2025
------------------------------

Inside the refugee camp itself, where Israeli military vehicles now patrol
a dirt road, entire rows of houses have been demolished.

   - [image: Reporters take pictures of an Israeli bulldozer in Jenin.
   (Screengrab)]
   <https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2025/2/14/41638e2a-04d4-4e2d-8ed7-efa081b5ddcc.png?width=1000>
   Reporters take pictures of an Israeli bulldozer in Jenin (Screengrab)

*AFP *on Friday reported that an ongoing Israeli military operation in
the occupied
West Bank
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/iof-continue-widespread-campaign-on-west-bank>has
led to severe destruction and displacement, particularly in Jenin and
surrounding areas. The offensive, which began on January 21, has escalated
beyond refugee camps, pushing deeper into Palestinian towns and cities.

Bulldozers have torn through roads and neighborhoods, leaving streets
unrecognizable. Residents seeking safety have found themselves trapped as
military raids continue.

Qusay Farahat, a 22-year-old from Jenin, was among those forced to flee.
After escaping an earlier raid on his home, he sought refuge at a
relative’s house—only for the military assault to reach there as well.
"Here, it feels like the camp all over again," he said, describing the
destruction outside the house where he had hoped to find shelter. He
recounted how an army bulldozer plowed through the area, wrecking vehicles
and blocking entrances with debris. "When the bulldozer came, it tore
everything apart while we were inside," he said. "We shouted for help," but
the family remained trapped as rubble piled up at their doorstep.
Jenin Siege

The Palestinian Health Ministry announced on Monday that 70 Palestinians
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/70-martyred-in-west-bank-since-start-of-year--majority-from>
have been killed in the West Bank since the start of the year, most of them
from Jenin. Additionally, 40,000 people have been displaced. Over the past
week, the Israeli military reported detaining approximately 90
Palestinians. The widespread destruction has prevented many residents from
returning home, leaving thousands still seeking shelter.

In Jenin’s eastern neighborhood, an airstrike on Thursday targeted a
vehicle, igniting a fire that smoldered for hours. Parents warned their
children to stay away, fearing unexploded ordnance. A shopkeeper, repairing
a metal awning damaged in a previous raid, remarked on the repetitive cycle
of destruction: "I had to fix this six months ago, and now it's ruined
again."

Israeli forces have also raided office buildings in high-rises overlooking
the camp, searching the premises and reportedly using them as strategic
outposts.

*AFP *journalists witnessed safes pried open, office supplies strewn across
floors, and windows shattered. Among the vandalized items was a small
Palestinian flag, burned, and a portrait of iconic Palestinian poet Mahmoud
Darwish, defaced with an official stamp from a legal office that had been
searched.

Inside the refugee camp itself, where Israeli military vehicles now patrol
a dirt road, entire rows of houses have been demolished. Farahat recalled
the terrifying moment the raid began: "We were surrounded, and suddenly
Israeli special forces appeared and began firing intensely. People died,
and others fled. Miraculously, we escaped."

For some, there was no escape. Sabha Bani Gharra, a 95-year-old resident,
was receiving medical treatment for a fracture when the military operation
began. Unable to return home, she has since been living in a sewing
workshop run by a local charity. A video sent by a neighbor confirmed what
she feared: her house was gone.

"The house is gone. All I have is one outfit, the one I'm wearing," she
said, holding a tin containing her medicine—one of the few belongings she
has left. "I have nothing left, except the kindness of strangers who help
me survive day to day."

*Read more: Israeli forces kill pregnant Palestinian woman, unborn baby in
raid
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israeli-forces-kill-pregnant-palestinian-woman--unborn-baby>*
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