INHALTSANGABE

SIEHE AUCH NEUE ZÜRICHER ZEITUNG - Uno korrigiert Anzahl der Toten

MSNBC - U.N. report says Jenin not a massacre - Palestinian claims inflated, Annan finds

Sahm Kommentar - Armutszeugnis für die UNO

Der vollständige UN Bericht steht Euch Online zur Eichsicht zu Verfügung, unter....

Hier findet Ihr auch die "Summary" des Berichts, so wie den Ausschnitt aus dem Bericht der sich i.B. mit Jenin befaßt (mit wichtigen Stellen FETT markiert), sowie einen Ausschnitt aus dem Report of the European Union

SABCNEWS - UN report shows no signs of Jenin massacre

A United Nation (UN) report on Israel's military attack on a Palestinian refugee camp does not back up claims of a massacre, but it does criticise both sides for putting civilians in harm's way, Western diplomats said yesterday.

The report accuses Israel of delaying aid and medical help to Palestinians in the Jenin refugee camp. And it charges Palestinian militants with deliberately putting its fighters and equipment in civilian areas in violation of international law, the diplomats added.

The violence in Jenin came during an Israeli offensive launched on March 29 in response to a suicide bombing that killed 29 Israelis. The heaviest fighting during the period was in the Jenin camp, where the Palestinians said Israeli attacks killed 500 people.

On April 19, Israel approved a U.N. fact-finding mission to probe its military assault on Jenin but later objected to the team's makeup and mandate. The team was disbanded and the UN General Assembly then asked Secretary-General Kofi Annan to compile a report on what happened in the camp.

Report to be released today
The report was also to look into attacks on other Palestinian cities assaulted by the Israeli army in what Israel called a campaign to destroy terrorist networks. The long-awaited report, scheduled to be released today, said between March 1 and the beginning of May, 497 Palestinians were killed during Israel's Operation Defensive Shield in the West Bank, according to diplomats who got advance copies and spoke on condition of anonymity.

That figure was almost double the death toll of 262 reported by the Red Crescent Society in the Palestinian territories for the same period. But it said that in Jenin, 52 Palestinian deaths had been confirmed by April 18, and that up to half may have been civilians. It called the Palestinian allegation that some 500 were killed "a figure that has not been substantiated in the light of evidence that has emerged," the diplomats said.

Israel maintained that it fought fierce battles against Palestinian terrorists in which 52 Palestinians were killed - the vast majority gunmen - along with 23 Israeli soldiers. Human rights groups have said 22 civilians were killed in Jenin.

No proof of Israeli massacre
The UN findings mirrored those of Human Rights Watch, which said its experts had found nothing to back allegations of an Israeli army massacre. The report was based on information from UN officials, the Palestinians, five UN member states, private relief organisations and documents in the public domain, the diplomats said. Annan wrote to the Israeli government asking for help in preparing the report but UN officials said Israel did not make a submission or respond to the letter.

Israel and the Palestinians received copies of the report last night but refused to comment until its release. Israel has maintained that its army took all measures possible not to hurt civilians.

The report stresses the difficulty of authenticating information, noting that firsthand accounts are partial and often anonymous, the diplomats said. In criticising the Palestinians, the report noted that much of the fighting took place in heavily populated civilian areas partly because the Palestinians put their fighters in those areas in breach of international law, the diplomats said.

It also criticised Israeli tactics that put civilians at risk, saying Palestinian civilians suffered because Israel delayed access to medical care and humanitarian aid. Curfews and closures imposed by Israel also contributed to civilian suffering, diplomats quoted the report as saying. - Sapa-AP

AP - UN sehen keine Beweise für Massaker in Dschenin - Donnerstag 1. August 2002, 12:12 Uhr
New York (AP) In einem lange erwarteten Untersuchungsbericht haben die Vereinten Nationen palästinensische Berichte über ein Massaker im Flüchtlingslager von Dschenin zurückgewiesen. Es gebe keine Hinweise darauf, dass bei den Kämpfen im April wie von palästinensischer Seite angegeben rund 500 Zivilisten getötet worden seien, erklärten UN-Diplomaten wenige Stunden vor der geplanten Veröffentlichung des Berichts am Donnerstagnachmittag.
Bestätigt worden seien 52 palästinensische Todesopfer, bei denen es sich etwa zur Hälfte um Zivilpersonen gehandelt habe, heisst es den Diplomaten zufolge in dem Bericht. Beide Seiten werden darin für Gewalttaten gegen Zivilisten kritisiert. Den israelischen Streitkräften wird vorgeworfen, durch Ausgehverbote und Abriegelungen die Lieferung medizinischer und humanitärer Hilfen an die Palästinenser erschwert zu haben. Militante Palästinenser werden beschuldigt, ihre Kämpfer und Ausrüstung gezielt in Wohngebieten zu platzieren.
Der Bericht wurde von Generalsekretär Kofi Annan im Auftrag der UN-Vollversammlung vorbereitet, nachdem Israel im April entgegen einer vorherigen Zusage eine Untersuchungskommission der Vereinten Nationen abgelehnt hatte. Die israelische Regierung hatte die palästinensischen Berichte stets zurückgewiesen und erklärt, in Dschenin sei es lediglich zu regulären Kampfhandlungen mit etwa 50 Toten gekommen.

SIEHE AUCH NEUE ZÜRICHER ZEITUNG - Uno korrigiert Anzahl der Toten - Untersuchungsbericht findet keine Beweise für Massaker in Jenin
Die Uno hat in ihrem Bericht über die Kämpfe zwischen israelischer Armee und Palästinensern im Flüchtlingslager von Jenin beide Seiten kritisiert. Gleichzeitig korrigierte sie die Zahl der palästinensischen Toten nach unten.
(sda) Insgesamt seien 52 Palästinenser bei den Kämpfen in Jenin im Westjordanland getötet worden, die Hälfte davon Zivilisten, hiess es in dem Bericht, der der Nachrichtenagentur Reuters am Donnerstag vor der Veröffentlichung vorlag. Die Uno-Generalversammlung hatte die Erstellung des Berichts im Mai in Auftrag gegeben. Zuvor waren geplante Untersuchungsarbeiten einer Uno-Kommission vor Ort zu den Vorgängen in Jenin von der israelischen Regierung verhindert worden....

MSNBC - U.N. report says Jenin not a massacre - Palestinian claims inflated, Annan finds
UNITED NATIONS, July 31 — A highly anticipated U.N. report faults Israel for using heavy weapons in civilian areas and keeping out medical workers during its assault on the Jenin refugee camp. But the report, due Thursday, says that Israeli contentions that Palestinian fighters used the camp as a base were correct and that Palestinian leaders’ claims of the number of deaths were exaggerated.....

SIEHE AUCH - HA'ARETZ - UN report on Jenin rejects Palestinian claims of a massacre
A UN report due out Thursday on Israel's military attack on the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank does not back up claims of a massacre, but it does criticize both sides for putting civilians in harm's way, Western diplomats said. It also criticizes Israel for delaying aid and medical help to Palestinians in the camp....

AP - U.N. Report Rejects Massacre Claim
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - A long-awaited U.N. report rejects Palestinian claims that Israeli forces carried out a massacre in the Jenin refugee camp, but it criticizes both sides for putting civilian lives at risk, Western diplomats said....

2 BEISPIELE FÜR ANDERE DIE DIE "NEUEN" FAKTEN NOCH IMMER NICHT SO EINFACH AKZEPTIEREN KÖNNEN ODER WOLLEN, UND DIE WEITERHIN PROBLEME HABEN ISRAEL SO RICHTIG INS RECHTE LICHT ZU RÜCKEN....

Auch hier ist ja wohl ganz klar wen der BBC für das Opfer hält... ach ja, und nur ganz nebenbei, ein Massaker war es nicht.... Na ja, vom BBC ist wohl sowieso kaum etwas anderes zu erwarten....

BBC - Jenin report 'blames both sides'
A United Nations report into Israel's attack on a Palestinian refugee camp criticises both sides for putting civilians in harm's way, Western diplomats say.....

REUTERS fällt es einfach zu schwer zuzugeben, daß es kein Massaker gab... die Überschrift des Berichts und die Betonung der Wortwahl läßt auch weiterhin vermuten, daß Israel nichts anderes als ein Übeltäter durch und durch ist...

REUTERS - UN Readies Critical Report on Jenin Raid
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A U.N. report on an Israeli assault on the Jenin refugee camp is expected to avoid using the word "massacre," as Palestinians have charged, but faults Israel for keeping out aid and medical workers after the raid, diplomatic sources said on Wednesday....

MFA - Israel's Reaction to the UN Secretary General's Report on Jenin
(Communicated by the Foreign Ministry Spokesperson)

The UN Secretary General's Report on Jenin, released today, came
about as the result of false Palestinian propaganda regarding an
alleged 'massacre' in the Jenin Refugee camp during the course of
Israel's Defensive Shield counter-terrorist operation of April, 2002.
The report overwhelmingly negates this Palestinian fabrication and
repudiates the malicious lies spread regarding the issue. The report
specifically refutes the claim made by a senior Palestinian Authority
official alleging the massacre of 500 civilians, indicating that
there were no more than 52 Palestinian fatalities in Jenin, most of
them apparently armed individuals.

In addition, the report clearly establishes that the Palestinian
Authority did nothing to prevent terrorism and had failed to fulfill
its responsibility and commitment to confront terrorism, noting that
this failure was due to the PA's assumption that terrorism would
force Israeli acquiescence.

The report also confirms that Israel's counter-terrorist operations
came in reaction to a grim wave of suicide terrorism, specifically
stressing the murderous attack on Passover night in the Park Hotel in
Netanya. Furthermore, the report points out that the terrorist
organizations purposely situated themselves in the heart of a
Palestinian civilian population, while setting booby-traps in
civilian residences.

It is appalling that the Palestinian terrorism, which had forced
Israel to undertake Operation Defensive Shield in April, has struck
again on the same day of this report's publication.

Israel has taken note of the report's comments regarding delays in
the movement of humanitarian agencies in the area. Israel recognizes
the importance of the activities of these agencies and will continue
to assist them in their humanitarian efforts. However, Israel rejects
the accusations made regarding its actions during the course of
Operation Defensive Shield, which derived from its right to
self-defense in the face of terrorist attack.

Israel remains resolute in its desire to achieve peace, and will
spare no effort in order to attain this fundamental goal.

See UN Press Release on UN Secretary-General's report on recent events in Jenin and other Palestinian cities, Aug 1, 2002
http://domino.un.org/unispal.nsf/22f431edb91c6f548525678a0051be1d/ac114ea035669dc985256c080048ab8c!opendocument

Sahm Kommentar - Armutszeugnis für die UNO
von Ulrich W. Sahm, Jerusalem, 1. August 2002

Die Veröffentlichung des UNO-Reports zu dem angeblichen "Massaker" in Dschenin Anfang März, kann Israel aufatmen lassen. Mit 52 nachgewiesenen palästinensischen Toten, von denen bestenfalls die Hälfte Zivilisten gewesen seien, bestätigt nun auch die UNO, dass die Welt das Opfer palästinensischer Propaganda geworden ist. Ein Massaker habe es nicht gegeben. Ebenso stellt die UNO fest, dass von Dschenin schwere Terroranschläge gegen Israelis ausgegangen sind und dass palästinensische Kämpfer die Häuser im Flüchtlingslager vermint hätten. Das habe die Zivilbevölkerung gefährdet. Nur in Paragraf 53 ist die Rede von einer Verletzung "internationalen Rechts". Doch wird da nicht etwa Israel an den Pranger der Weltorganisation gestellt sondern "militante Palästinenser", die "von der UNO verurteilte Methoden angewandt" hätten.

Die Hoffnung der Palästinenser, mit Hilfe der UNO den Israelis ein Massaker an fünfhundert Zivilisten anzulasten, endete jämmerlich mit Kritik an beiden Parteien. Es ergibt sich ein ziemlich düsteres Bild zu dem Schlachtfeld Dschenin, einen von der UNO Flüchtlingshilfe verwalteten Lager.

Der Report ist vor allem ein beschämendes Armutszeugnis für die Weltorganisation. Generalsekretär Kofi Anan bestand weiterhin auf einer teuren Untersuchung, obgleich längst klar war, dass der eigentliche Anlass, nämlich ein angebliches Massaker längst als böswillige Lüge entlarvt worden war. Der Vorgehen der UNO, das ursprüngliche Mandat auf allgemeine Vorwürfe auszuweiten, um die israelische Weigerung, Ambulanzen und Hilfsorganisationen in die Kampfzone einzulassen, als Menschenrechtsverletzung zu kritisieren, stellte das Bemühen um Wahrheitsfindung der Weltorganisation von Anfang an in Frage.

Die UNO hat sich selber in Diskredit gebracht, indem sie reine Propaganda zum Anlass einer offiziellen Untersuchung machte. Angebliche oder tatsächliche Massaker anderswo haben die UNO nicht so schnell agieren lassen. Die palästinensischen Terroranschläge mit regelrechten Massakern an Juden waren für die UNO noch kein Grund, mal in den vor ihr selber verwalteten palästinensischen Flüchtlingslagern nachzuschauen, ob die tatsächlich frei von Waffen, Bombenfabriken und Kämpfern sind, wie es die UNO selber vorschreibt.

Der vollständige UN BEricht steht Euch Online zur Eichsicht zu Verfügung, unter....
UN - Report of the Secretary General prepared pursuant to General Assembly resolution ES-10/10

Summary

This report was prepared on the basis of General Assembly resolution ES 10/10, adopted on 7 May 2002, in which the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to present a report, drawing upon the available resources and information, on the recent events that took place in Jenin and other Palestinian cities. The General Assembly requested the report following the disbandment of the United Nations fact-finding team that had been convened by the Secretary-General in response to Security Council resolution 1405 (2002) of 19 April 2002.

The report was written without a visit to Jenin or the other Palestinian cities in question and it therefore relies completely on available resources and information, including submissions from five United Nations Member States and Observer Missions, documents in the public domain and papers submitted by non-governmental organizations. The Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs wrote to the Permanent Representative of Israel and the Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations requesting them to submit information but only the latter did so. In the absence of a response from Israel, the United Nations has relied on public statements of Israeli officials and publicly available documents of the Government of Israel relevant to the request in resolution ES-10/10.

This report covers the period from approximately the beginning of March to 7 May 2002. The report sets out the context and background of the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including the security, humanitarian and human rights responsibilities of both parties. It briefly charts the rising violence since September 2000, which had by 7 May 2002 caused the deaths of 441 Israelis and 1,539 Palestinians.

The report describes the pattern of attacks carried out by Palestinian armed groups against Israel operating from the West Bank and Israel’s military action during Operation Defensive Shield, which began on 29 March with an incursion into Ramallah, followed by entry into Tulkarm and Qalqilya on 1 April, Bethlehem on 2 April, and Jenin and Nablus on 3 April. By 3 April, six of the largest cities in the West Bank, and their surrounding towns, villages and refugee camps, had been occupied by the Israeli military. Operation Defensive Shield was characterized by extensive curfews on civilian populations and restrictions, indeed occasional prohibitions, on the movement of international personnel, including at times humanitarian and medical personnel as well as human rights monitors and journalists. In many instances, humanitarian workers were not able to reach people in need. Combatants on both sides conducted themselves in ways that, at times, placed civilians in harm’s way. Much of the fighting during Operation Defensive Shield occurred in areas heavily populated by civilians and in many cases heavy weaponry was used. As a result of those practices, the populations of the cities covered in this report suffered severe hardships. The Israeli Defence Forces announced the official end of the operation on 21 April but its consequences lasted until the end of the period under review and beyond.

...nachfolgend noch ein paar Ausschnitte bezüglich Jenin:

"Israeli Defence Force incursion into Jenin city and refugee camp, 3-18 April 2002

48. Although available first-hand accounts are partial, difficult to authenticate and often anonymous, it is possible, through Government of Israel, Palestinian Authority, United Nations and other international sources, to create a rough chronology of events within the Jenin camp from 3 to 18 April 2002. The fighting lasted approximately 10 days and was characterized by two distinct phases: the first phase began on 3 April and ended on 9 April, while the second phase lasted during 10 and 11 April. Most of the deaths on both sides occurred in the first phase but it would appear that much of the physical damage was done in the second.

49. There are allegations by the Palestinian Authority and human rights organizations that in the conduct of their operations in the refugee camp the Israeli Defence Forces engaged in unlawful killings, the use of human shields, disproportionate use of force, arbitrary arrests and torture and denial of medical treatment and access. IDF soldiers who participated in the Jenin incursion point to breaches of international humanitarian law on the part of Palestinian combatants within the camp, including basing themselves in a densely populated civilian area and the use of children to transport and possibly lay booby traps.

50. In the account of the Government of Israel of the operation, IDF first surrounded and established control of access into and out of the city of Jenin, allowing its inhabitants to depart voluntarily. Approximately 11,000 did so. According to Israeli sources, in their incursion into the camp IDF relied primarily on infantry rather than airpower and artillery in an effort to minimize civilian casualties, but other accounts of the battle suggest that as many as 60 tanks may have been used even in the first days. Interviews with witnesses conducted by human rights organizations suggest that tanks, helicopters and ground troops using small arms predominated in the first two days, after which armoured bulldozers were used to demolish houses and other structures so as to widen alleys in the camp.

51. Using loudspeakers, IDF urged civilians in Arabic to evacuate the camp. Some reports, including of interviews with IDF soldiers, suggest that those warnings were not adequate and were ignored by many residents. Many of the inhabitants of the Jenin camp fled the camp before or at the beginning of the IDF incursion. Others left after 9 April. Estimates vary on how many civilians remained in the camp throughout but there may have been as many as 4,000.

52. As described by the Government of Israel, “a heavy battle took place in Jenin, during which IDF soldiers were forced to fight among booby-trapped houses and bomb fields throughout the camp, which were prepared in advance as a booby-trapped battlefield”. The Palestinian Authority acknowledges that “a number of Palestinian fighters resisted the Israeli military assault and were armed only with rifles and … crude explosives”. An IDF spokesman offered a slightly different portrayal of the resistance, stating that the soldiers had faced “more than a thousand explosive charges, live explosive charges and some more sophisticated ones, … hundreds of hand grenades … [and] hundreds of gunmen”. Human rights reports support the assertions that some buildings had been booby-trapped by the Palestinian combatants.

53. That the Israeli Defence Forces encountered heavy Palestinian resistance is not in question. Nor is the fact that Palestinian militants in the camp, as elsewhere, adopted methods which constitute breaches of international law that have been and continue to be condemned by the United Nations. Clarity and certainty remain elusive, however, on the policy and facts of the IDF response to that resistance. The Government of Israel maintains that IDF “clearly took all possible measures not to hurt civilian life” but were confronted with “armed terrorists who purposely concealed themselves among the civilian population”. However, some human rights groups and Palestinian eyewitnesses assert that IDF soldiers did not take all possible measures to avoid hurting civilians, and even used some as human shields.

54. As IDF penetrated the camp, the Palestinian militants reportedly moved further into its centre. The heaviest fighting reportedly occurred between 5 and 9 April, resulting in the largest death tolls on both sides. There are reports that during this period IDF increased missile strikes from helicopters and the use of bulldozers — including their use to demolish homes and allegedly bury beneath them those who refused to surrender — and engaged in “indiscriminate” firing. IDF lost 14 soldiers, 13 in a single engagement on 9 April. IDF incurred no further fatalities in Jenin after 9 April.

55. Press reports from the days in question and subsequent interviews by representatives of non-governmental organizations with camp residents suggest that an average of five Palestinians per day died in the first three days of the incursion and that there was a sharp increase in deaths on 6 April.

56. Fifty-two Palestinian deaths had been confirmed by the hospital in Jenin by the end of May 2002. IDF also place the death toll at approximately 52. A senior Palestinian Authority official alleged in mid-April that some 500 were killed, a figure that has not been substantiated in the light of the evidence that has emerged.

57. It is impossible to determine with precision how many civilians were among the Palestinian dead. The Government of Israel estimated during the incursion that there were “only dozens killed in Jenin … and the vast majority of them bore arms and fired upon [IDF] forces”. Israeli officials informed United Nations personnel that they believed that, of the 52 dead, 38 were armed men and 14 were civilians. The Palestinian Authority has acknowledged that combatants were among the dead, and has named some of them, but has placed no precise estimates on the breakdown. Human rights organizations put the civilian toll closer to 20 — Human Rights Watch documented 22 civilians among the 52 dead, while Physicians for Human Rights noted that “children under the age of 15 years, women and men over the age of 50 years accounted for nearly 38 per cent of all reported fatalities”.

58. The Israeli Defence Forces stated at the time that their methods might not change, “because the basic assumption is that we are operating in a civilian neighbourhood”. Other accounts of the battle suggest that the nature of the military operation in Jenin refugee camp did alter after 9 April 2002. On that day, in what both the Palestinian Authority and the Government of Israel describe as a “well-planned ambush” 13 IDF soldiers were killed and a number of others wounded. A fourteenth soldier died elsewhere in the camp that day, bringing the IDF death toll during the operation in Jenin to 23.

59. Following the ambush, IDF appeared to have shifted tactics from house-to-house searches and destruction of the homes of known militants to wider bombardment with tanks and missiles. IDF also used armoured bulldozers, supported by tanks, to demolish portions of the camp. The Government of Israel maintains that “IDF forces only destroyed structures after calling a number of times for inhabitants to leave buildings, and from which the shooting did not cease”. Witness testimonies and human rights investigations allege that the destruction was both disproportionate and indiscriminate, some houses coming under attack from the bulldozers before their inhabitants had the opportunity to evacuate. The Palestinian Authority maintains that IDF “had complete and detailed knowledge of what was happening in the camp through the use of drones and cameras attached to balloons … [and] none of the atrocities committed were unintentional” .

60. Human rights and humanitarian organizations have questioned whether this change in tactics was proportionate to the military objective and in accordance with humanitarian and human rights law. The Palestinian Authority account of the battle alleges the use of “helicopter gunships to fire TOW missiles against such a densely populated area … anti-aircraft guns, able to fire 3,000 rounds a minute … scores of tanks and armoured vehicles equipped with machine guns … [and] bulldozers to raze homes and to burrow wide lanes”. Other sources point to an extensive use of armoured bulldozers and helicopter gunships on 9 and 10 April, possibly even after the fighting had begun to subside. During this stage, much of the physical damage was done, particularly in the central Hawashin district of the camp, which was effectively levelled. Many civilian dwellings were completely destroyed and many more were severely damaged. Several UNRWA facilities in the camp, including its health centre and sanitation office, were badly damaged.

61. Within two days after 9 April, IDF brought the camp under control and defeated the remaining armed elements. On 11 April, the last Palestinian militants in Jenin camp surrendered to IDF, having requested mediation by B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights organization that operates in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, to ensure that no harm would come to them. According to Palestinian Authority sources, those surrendering included wanted Islamic Jihad and Fatah leaders; others were three injured people and a 13-year-old boy. "

......

"Report of the European Union
4. Relevant information

The fighting in the camp lasted from 3 to 11 April.

Between the end of the fighting and the first access permitted to the refugee camp, there was a period of four days considered by all observers as critical.

Humanitarian assistance by UNRWA, ICRC and PRCS only started on 15 April, at first under IDF control. They were not allowed at first to carry it on a systematic and organized way and prevented from performing forensic operations.

The curfew was lifted only on 18 April, partially on 16 April.

Of the population of the refugee camp, at least 4,000 remained inside and did not evacuate the camp at any moment.

IDF systematically used bulldozers, tanks, armoured personnel carriers and infantry, also armoured helicopters. The operations took a broader scope after the death of 13 Israeli soldiers in an ambush inside the refugee camp.

IDF cut electricity in both the town and the camp. Water pipes to the refugee camp were also broken.

IDF prevented access to the camp to UNRWA, ICRC and PRCS even to evacuate the wounded and the dead. Only after a decision by the Israeli High Court of Justice, on 14 April, was access granted, though on a very limited basis and conditions.

Fighting was fierce in the refugee camp. A number of Palestinian fighters, estimated at around 150, handed themselves in to the IDF on the last days.

Palestinians had claimed that between 400 and 500 people had been killed, fighters and civilians together. They had also claimed a number of summary executions and the transfer of corpses to an unknown place outside the city of Jenin.

The number of Palestinian fatalities, on the basis of bodies recovered to date, in Jenin and the refugee camp in this military operation can be estimated at around 55. Of those, a number were civilians, four were women and two children. There were 23 Israeli fatalities in the fighting operations in Jenin.

The number of Palestinian fatalities could increase when the rubble is removed. Most observers share the certainty that there must be some bodies lying under the debris.

Nevertheless, the most recent estimates by UNRWA and ICRC show that the number of missing people is constantly declining as the IDF releases Palestinians from detention. In any case, a figure is very difficult to estimate. There are a number of reports about Palestinian civilians being used as human shields.

The IDF made a very large number of detentions, though most of the Palestinians were later set free.

The estimate of physical damage is as follows:

• Destruction of security buildings and infrastructure in Jenin city.

• Destruction of security buildings of the Palestinian Authority in Jenin city.

• 160 buildings totally destroyed in the refugee camp.

• 100 buildings partially damaged. 800 families without shelter, an overall estimate of over 4,000 persons.

• 10 per cent of the camp totally destroyed.

• The centre of the refugee camp has been totally levelled. The area has a diameter of about 200 m and a surface of about 30,000 m2, with approximately 100 buildings totally destroyed.

The IDF launched a well-prepared operation converging on the centre of the refugee camp as shown by the destruction of buildings in the streets and alleys leading there.

The certainty of buried explosives under the rubble has made it very difficult for specialized teams to move on the ground. Unexploded ordnance belongs to both the IDF and the Palestinians.

From the very first minute, civilians from the camp were eager to come back and started collecting their personal belongings, making the situation even more difficult and dangerous.

The civilians were under a huge shock. Not only were they deprived of water, food and electricity for many days, but they were also seeking information about the fate of relatives with whom they had lost contact.

For many days after the fighting ended, there was neither law nor order inside the camp. The Palestinian Authority was unable to provide security and law enforcement, as the security apparatus had been destroyed. "