Jenin, Palestine
32�27'39"N 35�17'20"E

According to our analysis of imagery released by the IDF, the area damaged due to combat in the Jenin Refugee Camp measures approximately 160 x 250 meters or 40,000 square meters, (about 6 acres). This represents about 6 percent of the total size of the refugee camp. IDF annotation of the same imagery and damage area depicts a combat zone of "approx. 100 x 100 meters."

UNRWA reportedly listed the area at 475 by 275 meters. The discrepancy in the numbers being provided by both Israel's IDF and UNRWA can in large part be attributed to the selection criteria for the assessment of damage, with the IDF apparently selecting a much more restritive criteria focused mainly on destroyed buildings.

A Flash presentation was later put out by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs to rebut Palestinian claims on the extent of damage caused during the clashes in the Jenin Refugee Camp. According to the MFA, Palestinian claims did "not pass the test of reality". According again to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, only 95 houses were destroyed in the combat zone which itself measured only 200m². The Jenin Refugee Camp, the Flash presentation claims, covers an area of 3,500 m² occupied by 1,100 houses.

If the measurements released by the Israeli MFA are correct, this would amount to each house in the combat zone covering an average area slightly bigger than 2m², and each house in the overall refugee camp, covering an average area of 3m²!

Assuming a likely mathematical confusion in the measurement of the combat zone and the refugee camp, mistaking 200 square meters (m²) for meters squared (200m x 200m), then the combat zone would actually measure about 40,000 square meters, equivalent to the area obtained from our original analysis.

Whether one accepts the official 200m² claimed by the flash presentation or the more realistic 40,000m² obtained from both our analysis and a corrected interpretation of the Israeli MFA figures, this widely differs from the original IDF claim of the area measuring 100 x 100 meters or 10,000m².

Imagery of the town of Jenin
Click on the small image to view a larger version
Overview of Israel and Palestine	CIA Map of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, 1993
CIA map of the northern West Bank, centered on the town of Jenin	CIA map of the town of Jenin
NIMA CIB imagery of the town of Jenin as of 1995	Ikonos browse imagery of the town of Jenin as of December 2001
IDF aerial imagery of the town of Jenin, before operation "Defensive Shield"	IDF aerial imagery of the Jenin Refugee Camp as 13 April, 2002. According to our analysis of IDF-released imagery, the combat-damaged aread in the Jenin Refugee Camp measures approximately 160 x 250 meters or 40,000 square meters (~ 6 acres). This represents about 6 percent of the total size of the refugee camp. IDF annotation of the same imagery depicts a combat zone of "approx. 100 x 100 meters."
IDF aerial imagery of the Jenin Refugee Camp--orthorectified and geocorrected	The diagram of a U.S. Football field on the left, helps to place the size of the damaged area in perspective. IDF aerial imagery of the Jenin Refugee Camp as of 13 April, 2002
April 11, 2002, IDF aerial imagery of the Jenin Refugee Camp	April 13, 2002, IDF aerial imagery of the Jenin Refugee Camp
Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs attempt to rebut Palestinian claims on the damage in Jenin	Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs Flash Presentation attempting to rebut Palestinian claims on the damage in Jenin. Also available at the MFA's website