A critical rehabilitation centre for disabled Palestinians
in Jenin faces imminent demolition by Israeli authorities, threatening
essential services for thousands amid an intensifying military campaign.
Despite appeals from local staff, international organisations, and affected
communities, the Israeli military maintains its security rationale, with
widespread destruction and displacement continuing across the Jenin camp.
Israeli Authorities Target Jenin’s Only Disability Rehabilitation Centre
The Al-Jaleel Society for Care and Community-based Rehabilitation, the only centre of its kind serving persons with disabilities in the Jenin refugee camp, has received demolition orders from Israeli authorities. According to Niamh Ní Hoireabhaird of Al Jazeera, the centre
“provides vital aid to disabled Palestinians but faces demolition under Israeli military plans in Jenin,”
with no formal notification specified but aerial maps
revealing its fate. Zaid Am-Ali, advocacy officer for Humanity &
Inclusion, Al-Jaleel’s partner, underscored the military’s justification: “the
area needed to be secured for military and security reasons.”
Since January 2025, the rehabilitation centre has reportedly
endured at least seven attacks, including bulldozer incursions, ransacking, and
targeted destruction of assistive devices by Israeli forces, as described in a
statement by Humanity & Inclusion UK. The facility, which served
thousands with prosthetics, orthotics, physical and occupational therapy, and
psychosocial support, is now shuttered and inaccessible to staff, who fear
permanent loss for the disabled population in Jenin and surrounding areas.
How Did Al-Jaleel Become a Target?
According to Al Jazeera’s Niamh Ní Hoireabhaird, the Israeli army released aerial maps in June that indicated the demolition of multiple structures, including the rehabilitation centre. Although the staff received no direct warning, the area has been classified as a closed military zone, and
“Al-Jaleel’s staff have not been able to return to their original building to even retrieve equipment that survived the April assault”.
George Graham, writing on LinkedIn, stated:
“Its destruction will be a devastating blow to the rights, dignity and inclusion of persons with disabilities in Jenin and the surrounding areas”.
Who Relied on Al-Jaleel’s Services?
Since its inception, Al-Jaleel has provided essential support to thousands of Palestinians suffering mobility challenges due to injury, illness, or war trauma. The centre offers rehabilitation, prosthetics, orthotics, and psychosocial care. According to Humanity & Inclusion’s statement, destruction of this community service is
“a deliberate dismantling of community-based support for persons with disabilities and injuries,”
and it
“constitutes a devastating blow to the rights, dignity, and inclusion of persons with disabilities in Jenin and the surrounding areas”.
Operation Iron Wall
As detailed by Al Jazeera, beginning 21 January 2025, the Israeli military launched “Operation Iron Wall” in Jenin and nearby refugee camps as an “antiterrorism” campaign to dismantle Palestinian armed groups. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz told BBC News the military was “dismantling weapons and infrastructure on a large scale” and ordered forces to remain in the camps “for a year to prevent residents returning”.
Wafa, the Palestinian news agency, reported that by 30 June,
more than 1,000 Palestinians had been killed in Israeli military or settler
actions since the conflict intensified in October 2023, with Jenin experiencing
escalating violence, displacement, and wanton destruction.
Scale of Demolitions and Displacement
The Palestine Foundation Information Centre reported the military’s intent
“to demolish more than 60 buildings in Jenin camp,”
with 66
homes specifically targeted. Over 512 homes and facilities have been
destroyed, and 21,000 displaced in 58 days of operations, while the number
grows daily. Al Jazeera and Arab News stated that Jenin municipality
recorded the total destruction of at least 600 houses, with others partially
damaged or abandoned.
UNRWA’s West Bank director Roland Friedrich described the
situation to the BBC as “unprecedented” since 1967, with tens of thousands of
Palestinians displaced and camp infrastructure made “entirely unlivable”. UNRWA
later confirmed that large swathes of Jenin camp were destroyed “in a split
second” in recent detonations, rendering the area a ghost town.
Were There Attempts to Intervene Legally or Humanitarian Appeals?
As reported by Al Jazeera, the Israeli Supreme Court dismissed a petition by Adalah (a legal centre for Palestinian rights) on 17 June, permitting demolitions of 90 civilian structures housing hundreds of families. Adalah stated:
“The court’s decision provides a misleading legal justification for forced displacement and entrenched impunity”.
Humanity & Inclusion (London, 19 June 2025) lamented:
“Despite all efforts to intervene and prevent this action through legal and humanitarian channels, no recourse was granted. … The latest demolition order is an erasure of essential community service”.
Broader Humanitarian Consequences
According to Zaid Am-Ali of Humanity & Inclusion, cited by Al Jazeera:
“Destruction of the centre would leave vulnerable populations in Jenin and the broader northern West Bank without essential support services”.
Staff,
displaced from their own homes, have been denied access even to retrieve
equipment and medical devices.
As detailed in a Humanity & Inclusion US press statement, the repeated targeting of aid and medical facilities in Jenin
“constitutes a dangerous erosion of community resilience and violates international human rights protections for persons with disabilities in conflict zones”.
Wider Destruction Means for Jenin
As the Palestine News Network reported:
“Israeli bulldozers on Monday demolished homes and commercial properties in the vicinity of Jenin Governmental Hospital, as part of ongoing military assault on the city and its refugee camp”.
More than 600 homes have been demolished, 22,000 people
displaced, and roads and commercial infrastructure razed, leaving the camp
largely uninhabitable. Israeli authorities have repeatedly issued new
demolition orders, with almost daily implementation in residential
neighbourhoods since June.
International Organisations Response
UNRWA confirmed its services inside Jenin camp have been paralysed for months and noted:
“The basics of life are gone. … Residents have endured the impossible, facing months of unceasing and escalating violence”.
Humanity & Inclusion condemned the
“deliberate targeting of medical and community-based institutions”
and called for urgent international protection.
Israeli Military’s Position
The Israeli Defence Forces maintain that their actions
target militants and “enhance the freedom of movement” for military operations,
frequently alleging militants use civilian infrastructure as shields. The
army has not formally responded to international press queries regarding the
specific demolition of the Al-Jaleel Rehabilitation Centre.
Palestinian and International Reactions
The Hamas Movement labelled the large-scale demolition as “a new crime” against the Palestinian people, calling on resistance and the international community to oppose Israeli actions and protect civilians. Local authorities, such as Jenin’s mayor Mohammad Jarrar, told BBC News:
“Israel’s objective is to render Jenin camp completely uninhabitable, and I can assure you it has become entirely unlivable”.
Aid organisations, including the World Health Organization,
have warned of a wider pattern of attacks on healthcare facilities in both the
West Bank and Gaza, with at least 94% of Gaza’s hospitals damaged or destroyed
and 863 attacks on healthcare documented in the West Bank between October 2023
and June 2025.
What’s Next for Jenin and Its Disabled Residents?
As of the latest reports, the Al-Jaleel Rehabilitation
Centre stands, yet its fate appears sealed amid regular incursions, denied
access, and the threat of imminent demolition. Staff and community members
remain displaced and uncertain of their return, with Jenin camp’s
infrastructure and social services decimated.
With legal paths closed and military activity escalating,
the people of Jenin and northern West Bank await clarity as the humanitarian
crisis deepens daily, threatening not only the disabled but the broader
population's rights to security, dignity, and a minimally functioning civil
society.