The Number of Dead Is in Dispute, but the Destruction in Jenin Is Clear

JENIN, West Bank, April 11 — Toward dusk today, black smoke rose from the ruins of Jenin's refugee camp, a fortress of Palestinian resistance that has crumbled before overwhelming Israeli force.

No one knows how many people have died here. Israeli officials have given estimates of 100 to 200, and said that most of the dead were armed men. Palestinians estimated twice that many, and said the dead included civilians cut down by random fire.

Many people have fled, and others have been taken prisoner by Israel. Some are probably buried in the rubble.

This evening Jenin was motionless except for the Israeli armored vehicles that have taken command of the ragged streets. It was silent except for the occasional bursts of machine-gun fire or tank shells.

Gray cinder-block walls in the refugee camp were scorched black and punched through by shells. A broad boulevard that was sliced through the camp had been jaggedly paved with the remnants of smashed buildings.

From a distance, the camp's center looked as though a giant's fist had come down upon it. At the edge of the wreckage, a two-story-tall armored bulldozer trailing an enormous steel spike crunched its way through a wall.