[News] IOF ethnically cleansing West Bank refugee camps; 44,000 displaced

[Anti-Imperialist News]

english.almayadeen.net
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/iof-ethnically-cleansing-west-bank-refugee-camps--44-000-dis>
IOF ethnically cleansing West Bank refugee camps; 44,000 displaced
Al Mayadeen English
December 19, 2025
------------------------------

"Israel's" most recent aggression on the West Bank has displaced 44,000
Palestinians, raising ethnic cleansing concerns amid mass demolitions.

   - [image: Residents of the West Bank refugee camp of Nur Shams,
   Tulkarem, evacuate their homes as the Israeli military continues its
   operation in the area on Feb. 11, 2025 (AP)]
   <https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2025/12/19/bc7949a2-1046-48ba-8a2a-2800aab7fb38.jpg?width=1000>
   Residents of the West Bank refugee camp of Nur Shams, Tulkarm, evacuate
   their homes as the Israeli military continues its aggression in the area on
   Feb. 11, 2025. (*AP*)

"Israel" has come under international scrutiny over allegations that its
military operations
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/iof-detain-14-palestinians-as-west-bank-arrests-top-8-600>
in the occupied West Bank constitute a campaign of ethnic cleansing,
displacing tens of thousands of Palestinians, according to a report by
Israeli newspaper *Haaretz*.

Since January 2024, Israeli occupation forces have carried out “Operation
Iron Wall,” forcibly evacuating over 44,000 Palestinians. The largest
displacements occurred in Jenin and Tulkarm, including the Nur Shams camp,
where residents and aid organizations say the actions go beyond alleged
security measures
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/egypt-condemns-israeli-approval-of-19-new-west-bank-settleme>
.

Local officials and humanitarian agencies
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israeli-settler-kills-palestinian-teen-in-west-bank-town-of>
argue that the demolitions are aimed at rendering key refugee camps
uninhabitable, effectively undermining the right of return for generations
of displaced Palestinians. Multi-storey buildings have been flattened and
essential infrastructure destroyed. UNRWA’s West Bank director, Roland
Friedrich, said 48% of homes in Nur Shams have been damaged or destroyed,
making return impossible without full-scale reconstruction.
1,514 families lost their homes

Jenin Governor Abu al-Rub told *Haaretz* that roughly 800 buildings, nearly
40% of the camp’s structures, have been leveled. “Thousands of families
have been living
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/iof-raid-west-bank--kill-teen-in-jenin--injure--detain-other>
in complete uncertainty for months, scattered across villages and towns,
unable to return,” he said.

In Tulkarm’s Nur Shams camp, at least 9,000 people have been displaced,
according to Governor Abdallah Kamil, with 1,514 families losing their
homes entirely and 2,200 homes partially damaged. Kamil described the
actions as “an intentional policy by the Israeli government to eliminate
the camps and prevent the displaced from returning,” rather than genuine
security operations.

Israeli authorities continue to issue
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israeli-forces-raid-unrwa-headquarters-in-occupied-al-quds>
demolition orders, with plans announced this month to raze 25 more
buildings, some outside official camp boundaries. Reports indicate that
access has been blocked for displaced residents attempting to protest the
demolitions, while Israeli flags have been raised inside the camp, a move
perceived as deliberate provocation.

Residents describe the destruction as collective punishment. Abu Anas,
displaced from Nur Al-Shams, said, “There’s no explanation for the
destruction except collective punishment,” noting that no armed fighters
had been present in the camp for months.
'Israel' aiming at demographic engineering

Observers and Palestinian officials suggest "Israel’s" goal is demographic
engineering
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/iof-kill-palestinian-teen-in-west-bank-tuqu--with-bullets-to>,
aiming to erase the Palestinian refugee presence in strategic areas. Kamil
warned that the operations are intended to “alter the geographic and
demographic reality” and eliminate the refugee question entirely.

Human rights advocates have drawn parallels to the 1948 Nakba, when over
750,000 Palestinians were forcibly displaced and more than 500 villages
destroyed during the establishment of the Israeli state. Critics argue that
"Israel’s" current military strategy is part of a broader apartheid policy,
justifying displacement to maintain “demographic balance".

UNRWA’s Friedrich cautioned that, unless halted, the demolition campaign
could lead to permanent displacement for tens of thousands. “This is not
about security,” he said. “This is about long-term control.”

Abu Ahmed, displaced from Jenin, summed up the situation, “This is not just
a war on buildings. It’s a war on our right to exist.”
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