Israel deliberately destroys Jenin football stadium

The Israeli occupation army deliberately destroyed a football stadium in the city of Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank during the ongoing military offensive in the city and its refugee camp which started last Wednesday.

The Palestinian Football Association published a video clip showing shocking scenes of the extensive damage to the stadium including its grounds and stands. With the entire area turned into rubble by the Israeli occupation’s bulldozers.

في استمرارٍ للانتهاكات الإسرائيلية بحق الرياضة الفلسطينية، قامت قوات الاحتلال الإسرائيلي اليوم بتدمير وتجريف ملعب بلدية جنين خلال اقتحامها للمدينة، في انتهاك صارخ لكافة القوانين والأعراف الرياضية الدولية. pic.twitter.com/P34BD4zyPC

— الاتحاد الفلسطيني لكرة القدم (@PSFA28) September 1, 2024

The Palestinian Football Association condemned the attack on the stadium saying it constitutes a flagrant violation of all international laws and norms that protect sports facilities and guarantee the right of youth to practise sports.

It called on international bodies and global sports organisations to take urgent measures to pressure the Israeli occupation to stop these violations and hold those responsible accountable.

Read: UN rights office urges Israel to halt military operations in Jenin, northern West Bank

Israel launched its largest offensive in Jenin in 20 years last Wednesdays and since has destroyed more than 70 per cent of the city’s roads, according to the local municipality.

“The occupying [Israeli] forces have demolished more than 70% of the city’s streets completely … to a depth of approximately one to one-and-half metres, which has led to the destruction of water and sewage networks, as well as communication and electricity cables, in the areas that were demolished, initially estimated to cover 20 kilometres,” the Palestine news agency Wafa reported, citing Bashir Matahen, the director of Public Relations and Media at the Jenin Municipality.

He noted that “water has been cut off from 80% of the city and the entire camp due to the destruction of networks and the inability of technical teams to reach these networks to redirect them to other areas.”

Municipality workers have been unable to fix the damaged networks, he explained, because they have come under fire from Israeli forces.

The mayor of Jenin yesterday compared the ongoing Israeli military operation in the city to an “earthquake”, estimating that about 500 million shekels ($135.2 million) of damage had been caused so far.