SAEDNEWS: A UN report says Israel has displaced residents of three Palestinian refugee camps in the occupied West Bank and blocked their return, raising concerns over “ethnic cleansing.”
According to Saednews, The UN Human Rights Office reported that Israeli forces displaced residents of the Jenin, Nur Shams and Tulkarm refugee camps during Operation Iron Wall in January and February 2025.
The report said Israeli forces killed civilians, damaged or destroyed homes and vital infrastructure, disrupted water and electricity supplies, and limited humanitarian access during the operation.
According to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), more than 33,000 Palestinians were displaced from the three camps, with 33,362 people still unable to return as of July.
The UN Human Rights Office said the “large-scale, long-term and systematic displacement” raised serious concerns about the possible commission of the crime against humanity of forcible transfer.
It also said that measures that made the camps uninhabitable “appear to amount to collective punishment” and raised concerns about possible ethnic cleansing.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said the conduct of Operation Iron Wall suggested that its objective was to remove as many Palestinians as possible and create space for additional Israeli settlements, which the report said would further violate international law.
The report stated that Israeli forces killed 102 Palestinians during the period examined, including 21 children.
These deaths represented 46% of all Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank during the same period, according to the report.
By October 2025, approximately 52% of structures in Jenin refugee camp, 48% in Nur Shams and 36% in Tulkarm had reportedly been destroyed or damaged.
Displaced Palestinians also told UN officials that Israeli officers had said there would be “no more refugee camps” and that residents should “all go to Jordan.”
On February 23, 2025, Israel’s defense minister ordered Israeli forces to remain in the three camps and stated that Palestinians displaced from the areas would not be permitted to return.
