Israel’s West Bank attacks empty refugee camps of all residents, UNRWA warns

The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees warned that three refugee camps in the northern part of the West Bank have been nearly emptied of their residents as the Israeli military keeps escalating its attacks on the occupied territory, expelling tens of thousands of people from their homes.

UNRWA said in a statement on Friday that “With widespread destruction to civilian infrastructure, including homes, [in the Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams refugee camps], people now face the prospect of having nowhere to return to.”

The UN body noted that Israeli forces began the demolition of more than 16 buildings in the Nur Shams camp.

“This comes less than a week after 11 houses were demolished in the same camp, 14 other houses in the Tulkarm Camp, and controlled detonations in Jenin Camp around a month ago that left the camp uninhabitable,” the statement read.

“These large-scale demolitions are an alarming new pattern. They have an unprecedented impact on the Palestinian refugees and seek to permanently change the characteristics of the camps in the northern West Bank,” UNRWA added.

West Bank situation remains 'deeply alarming', warns UN spokesman

UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric has warned about the deteriorating situation in the occupied West Bank.

‘Devastating consequences’

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) also warned that the Israeli army’s ongoing aggression in the northern West Bank cities and camps continues to have devastating humanitarian consequences.

OCHA corroborated UNRWA’s report, saying Israeli authorities have started demolishing more than 16 buildings in the Nur Shams refugee camp, following the destruction of over 20 homes in the area last week.

The report highlighted that these demolitions are taking place in the Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams camps, displacing tens of thousands of residents and leaving them unable to come back.

The Israeli military initiated its assault on the occupied West Bank on January 21, stating that the objective was to target the resistance fighters linked to the Jenin Battalion.

Since the beginning of the Gaza war in October 2023, the actions of the Israeli army and illegal settlers have led to the deaths of at least 930 Palestinians, with nearly 7,000 individuals sustaining injuries in the occupied West Bank.

Last July, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared that Israel’s long-standing occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal, demanding the evacuation of all illegal settlements in the West Bank and East al-Quds.

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