At 02:00 hrs on 05 July, after 48 hours of ground presence in the camp, The Israeli Armed Forces withdrew from the Jenin refugee camp and stated that they had concluded the military operation. Some snipers remained positioned in the vicinity of the camp, but reportedly withdrew by 06:00 hrs.
At the time of reporting, the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Health reported 13 Palestinians killed and more than 140 others injured, including 20 critically, as a result of the operation in Jenin since 3 July. UNRWA is working to verify the number of Palestine Refugees among the casualties. The Israeli Armed Forces reported that one Israeli soldier was killed during the operation.
After the military operation ended, UNRWA staff living in and around the camp, and staff from Jerusalem were able to enter the camp on 5 July. The team began work to assess the scale of damage to community and individual infrastructure in the camp, including roads and UNRWA installations.
Figure 1. One of the main roads in jenin camp
Most windows of the UNRWA Health Centre in Jenin camp were shattered, and external walls sustained extensive damage.
Figure 2. UNRWA Jenin Health Centre
The road leading to the UNRWA school is heavily damaged and cannot be used.
Figure 3. Road leading to UNRWA Jenin Girls' School
UNRWA teams, including from the health, relief and social service and protection teams, are working together with cluster coordinators and humanitarian partners assessed pressing needs including the provision of cash-based assistance, mental health support, raising awareness on unexploded ordinance, and repairing shelters and civilian infrastructures. The Jenin municipality has started undertaking repairs of the water and electricity networks, rubble removal and road rehabilitation.
UNRWA West Bank Director met with officials of the Department of Refugee Affairs (DoRA) in Ramallah, and agreed to coordinate closely with the President’s task force to support Jenin camp residents in need.
On 4 July, a mission from UNRWA, OCHA, UNICEF and WHO went to Jenin city, to conduct a rapid assessment of the situation on the ground. The delegation met with the Jenin Municipality, governmental and non-governmental organizations, to get an overview on the pressing needs of both those displaced in Jenin city and affected people who remained inside the camp.
The majority of the 500 families, comprising 3,000 people, who fled the camp overnight between 3 and 4 July are hosted with family members and relatives in Jenin city. Others are accommodated in public spaces, including the city’s Youth Centre. The rapid assessment found that local stakeholders, including the Municipality, and the local community, are well-equipped to provide assistance of water, food and other basic items to the IDPs. Local communities in Jenin and in other cities and camps in the North have also been reportedly preparing items for basic assistance to be deployed.
The delegation undertaking the rapid assessment mission was not able to access the camp on 4 July.
On the same day, the UNRWA Logistics team conducted a supplier and warehouse assessment in Nablus city, where the inter-agency Emergency Operation Centre operates, in preparation for potential distribution of basic items to affected communities in Jenin.
