Minister: $16m needed to rebuild Jenin after Israel aggression

The Palestinian Minister of Public Works, Mohamed Ziara, said $15.5 million is needed to reconstruct buildings and roads in the city of Jenin and its refugee camp after the recent Israeli aggression.

Ziara said the damages listed by the Ministry of Public Works include buildings and roads and basic infrastructure like water and sanitation networks.

He explained that the reconstruction process includes the complete removal of four buildings at a cost of $1.5 million, partial damage to 25 buildings at a cost of $2 million, partial damage to 250 housing units at a cost of $2.5 million, and damage to 150 commercial and service buildings at a cost of $5 million, in addition to severe damage to a mosque at a cost of $1 million, which brings the total amount required for the reconstruction of the buildings to $12 million.

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Regarding the roads, Ziara said the Israeli army bulldozed five kilometres of roads inside Jenin refugee camp and they will cost $1.5 million to mend, while adjacent buildings which were partially damaged will also need to be fixed.

The minister said the ministry’s teams have immediately initiated a rescue plan to deal with the aftermath of the Israeli aggression by opening roads and securing collapsing buildings in order not to endanger citizens, and will continue until all these tasks are completed.

He pointed out that the Israeli army’s remnants remain in the camps, including explosives, and the ministry’s staff and the civil defence teams are working to remove them safely.

Israel withdrew from Jenin on Tuesday evening after a two-day military operation in which at least 12 Palestinians were killed and hundreds were injured. Some 80 per cent of homes were damaged in the Israeli raid.

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