WEST BANK, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), More than a year and a half has passed since the Israeli military launched its “Iron Wall” operation in the northern West Bank, yet more than 33,000 Palestinians displaced from the Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams refugee camps remain unable to return to their homes, with no prospect of their return in sight.
In a new report issued on Friday, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights revealed that Israeli forces forcibly displaced residents of the three camps during January and February 2025 and have continued to prevent them from returning, in violation of international law.
Destruction and Systematic Displacement
According to the report, the forced displacement was not limited to military operations. It also involved the demolition of hundreds of homes, destruction of infrastructure, roads, water and electricity networks, restrictions on humanitarian aid, and house-to-house searches that forced residents to leave the area.
By the end of October 2025, 52 percent of the structures in Jenin refugee camp, 48 percent in Nur Shams camp, and 36 percent in Tulkarm camp had either been completely destroyed or severely damaged.
Growing Financial and Social Crisis for Displaced Refugees
In addition to losing their homes, tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians are facing severe social and economic hardship. The camps, which had served as the centers of their daily lives, education, and employment, are now inaccessible to them. Most families have been forced to rent homes in nearby cities and towns at high costs, while their sources of income have disappeared.
According to the United Nations, the experience of one family displaced from Jenin camp, which struggled to pay rent while having no employment following its displacement, illustrates the severity of the crisis.
Fears of a Crime Against Humanity
The report’s most significant and alarming finding is that the prolonged and systematic displacement of more than 33,000 Palestinians is no longer merely a humanitarian crisis, but falls under the category of “forcible transfer,” which may amount to a crime against humanity.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said it appears that the primary objective of the operation is to “push out” as many Palestinians as possible from their areas and clear the land for the expansion of Israeli settlements. He called on Israel to immediately halt all measures aimed at forcibly displacing additional Palestinians.
The situation in the refugee camps of the northern West Bank has therefore evolved from a military humanitarian disaster into a permanent political and legal question: Will this forced displacement ultimately prove temporary, or will it become a permanent reality that fundamentally alters the demographic and geographic landscape of the northern West Bank?
