Minister of Labor in the Palestinian Authority, Abdul Rahman Hamad on Sunday said the losses caused by the continuous military operations in Beit Hanoun, started at the end of June, are close to 110.57 Million US Dollars.
Hamad added that army bulldozed 1900 Dunums (475 acres) planted with citrus-fruits, Olives, and different kinds of fruits and agricultural products, in the besieged city of Beit Hanoun since June, 29, 2004.
The total estimation of fields demolished since the beginning of the Intifada is 7100 Dunums (1775 Acres), with an estimated loss of 88.75 Million dollars.
Hamad said that army also destroyed agricultural barracks and several chicken farms, and beehives with estimated losses of 5 Million U.S dollars, after destroying 17 wells used for honey and 12 partially damaged, in addition to refrigerators and other equipment.
In the Industrial field, army completely demolished 7 factories, and four factories were partially damaged, with an estimated loss of 2.5 million U.S Dollars.
Houses and housing projects were also targeted and shelled in the military operations In Beit Hanoun, which resulted in demolishing 20 homes since June, 29, 2004, and partial damages to 100 homes, which made hundreds of families homeless. Losses estimated here are about 2 Million Dollars.
Meanwhile, Hamad said that losses reached 10.32 Million Dollars in the infrastructure, after destroying water supplies, electricity generators, sewage system and roads.
Senior army officers were quoted as demanding an evaluation as to whether the army operation in Beit Hanoun has been useful.
‘We need to carefully study if our continued operation in Beit Hanoun is useful or not,’ a senior army officer told the Israeli newspaper.
According to the same source, a few senior army officers have even considered army existence in Beit Hanoun as motivating Palestinian resistance groups to increase the number of rockets fired at Israeli targets.
Army southern command revealed that while only 5 rockets were fired inside the green line prior to the Beit Hanoun operation, more than 40 rockets have landed inside the green line since the beginning of Beit Hanoun operation 35 days ago.
