By Qais Abu Samra
JENIN, Palestine (AA) - The mayor of Jenin on Sunday compared an ongoing Israeli military operation in the northern occupied West Bank city to an "earthquake," estimating that about 500 million shekels ($135.2 million) of damage had been caused so far.
"The greatest loss is in the lives of the martyrs. On a material level, the destruction caused by Israeli forces is immense, including the damage to infrastructure, such as the destruction of water and communication lines and the targeting of electricity transformers," Nidal al-Obaidi said in an interview with Anadolu.
"The scale of destruction surpasses that of previous operations, with damages estimated at around 500 million shekels ($135.2 million)," he said in the wake of the Israeli offensive in the city of Jenin, its eastern neighborhood, and refugee camp.
Describing the situation, particularly in the eastern neighborhood and the camp, the mayor said it was "as if an earthquake has struck the city — massive destruction, streets torn apart, homes demolished, and others blown up."
Obaidi said the Israeli army is "deliberately sabotaging and destroying the city," noting that "the operation has continued for five consecutive days, with new destruction and damage occurring each day."
He further emphasized that the military operation has "paralyzed public and economic life," adding that residents faced extremely difficult conditions, with a severe shortage of essential supplies in the eastern neighborhood and the camp due to the ongoing siege.
Since Wednesday, the Israeli army has launched its largest military operation in the northern West Bank since 2002. Large forces have stormed the cities of Jenin and Tulkarm, along with their refugee camps and the Fara camp near Tubas. The army withdrew from the Fara camp early Thursday morning and from Tulkarm later that evening.
However, operations in Jenin continue, with the Israeli army deploying armored forces, supported by air power, to the city. The operation has resulted in the deaths of at least 26 Palestinians, according to Israeli military sources.
Tensions have been running high across the occupied West Bank amid a brutal Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 40,600 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7 last year.
At least 674 Palestinians have been killed, nearly 5,400 others injured, and over 10,300 arrested in the occupied territory, according to Palestinian figures.
In a landmark opinion on July 19, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land unlawful and demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
*Writing by Ikram Kouachi in Ankara