UNRWA official says Israel turned West Bank refugee camps into rubble in a “systematic forced displacement” plan

Director of UNRWA Affairs in the West Bank, Roland Friedrich warned Thursday that the region has not truly enjoyed any “truce,” as the Israeli occupation army has been destroying dozens of buildings over the past 12 days.

Friedrich explained that the Israeli occupation forces continue to demolish homes and buildings in the Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams refugee camps, depriving many families of a minimum level of dignity, who could not salvage any of their property before the Israeli bulldozers arrived.

“We stand now to see camps that were once teeming with life reduced to rubble. This is not just destruction; it is part of a systematic forced displacement, a flagrant violation of international law, and a form of collective punishment” added the UN official, stressing that the camps’ residents must be allowed to reach and return to their homes without delay.

On 21 January, the Israeli army launched a military aggression in the northern West Bank that started in the city of Jenin and its refugee camp, and later expanded to the Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps.

On Sunday, the Israeli army demolished buildings in the Jenin and Nur Shams camps, raided several towns, and arrested dozens of residents in the northern West Bank as part of its ongoing military operations, which have been ongoing for 153 days.

According to a previous statement by the Jenin Municipality, the Israeli army demolished 95 new homes, representing approximately 33 percent of the Jenin camp. The statement noted that since the start of the aggression on the Gaza Strip on 7 October, 2023, approximately 600 homes have been demolished in the camp, displacing more than 22,000 people.

According to official Palestinian data, the Israeli escalation has displaced more than 5,000 families from the Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps, totalling 25,000 people. At least 400 homes have been completely destroyed, and 2,573 homes have been partially damaged.