Hamas says displacement in West Bank reflects forced transfer policy

A senior Hamas official has said the displacement of more than 36,000 Palestinians in the West Bank over the past year reflects a policy of forced displacement.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Abdul Rahman Shadid, a Hamas official, said the figures demonstrate the scale of Israeli violations aimed at emptying the land of its inhabitants and imposing a new demographic reality.

Shadid also pointed to ongoing arrest campaigns across the West Bank, highlighting a recent operation in Qalqilya in which 17 women were detained, many of them relatives of prisoners or individuals previously detained.

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He described the arrests as a dangerous escalation, accusing Israeli authorities of directly targeting women as part of broader pressure tactics.

“Targeting women in this manner reflects the level of moral decline and confirms policies of intimidation affecting all segments of society,” he said.

Shadid warned that the combination of displacement, arrests and intimidation represents a serious development, but added that such measures would not succeed in undermining Palestinian resolve.

He said the policies would instead strengthen attachment to land and rights, despite the ongoing pressures.

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