<div dir="ltr">
<div class="gmail-top-anchor"></div>
<div id="gmail-toolbar" class="gmail-toolbar-container">
</div><div class="gmail-container" lang="en-EN" dir="ltr">
<div class="gmail-header gmail-reader-header gmail-reader-show-element">
<a class="gmail-domain gmail-reader-domain" href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/iof-ethnically-cleansing-west-bank-refugee-camps--44-000-dis">english.almayadeen.net</a>
<div class="gmail-domain-border"></div>
<h1 class="gmail-reader-title">IOF ethnically cleansing West Bank refugee camps; 44,000 displaced</h1>
<div class="gmail-credits gmail-reader-credits">Al Mayadeen English</div>
<div class="gmail-meta-data">
<div class="gmail-reader-estimated-time">December 19, 2025</div>
</div>
</div>
<hr>
<div class="gmail-content">
<div class="gmail-moz-reader-content gmail-reader-show-element"><div id="gmail-readability-page-1" class="gmail-page"><p>"Israel's"
most recent aggression on the West Bank has displaced 44,000
Palestinians, raising ethnic cleansing concerns amid mass demolitions.</p><div><ul id="gmail-content-slick-0"><div aria-hidden="false"><li>
<a href="https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2025/12/19/bc7949a2-1046-48ba-8a2a-2800aab7fb38.jpg?width=1000" tabindex="0"><img src="https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2025/12/19/bc7949a2-1046-48ba-8a2a-2800aab7fb38.jpg?width=1000&preset=w800" alt="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)" class="gmail-moz-reader-block-img"></a>
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. (<em>AP</em>)
</li></div></ul>
<p>"Israel" has come under international scrutiny over <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/iof-detain-14-palestinians-as-west-bank-arrests-top-8-600" target="_blank" rel="noopener">allegations that its military operations</a>
in the occupied West Bank constitute a campaign of ethnic cleansing,
displacing tens of thousands of Palestinians, according to a report by
Israeli newspaper <em>Haaretz</em>.</p>
<p>Since January 2024, Israeli occupation forces have carried out
\u201cOperation Iron Wall,\u201d 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 <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/egypt-condemns-israeli-approval-of-19-new-west-bank-settleme" target="_blank" rel="noopener">actions go beyond alleged security measures</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israeli-settler-kills-palestinian-teen-in-west-bank-town-of" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Local officials and humanitarian agencies</a>
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\u2019s West Bank
director, Roland Friedrich, said 48% of homes in Nur Shams have been
damaged or destroyed, making return impossible without full-scale
reconstruction.</p>
<h2>1,514 families lost their homes</h2>
<p>Jenin Governor Abu al-Rub told <em>Haaretz</em> that roughly 800 buildings, nearly 40% of the camp\u2019s structures, have been leveled. \u201c<a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/iof-raid-west-bank--kill-teen-in-jenin--injure--detain-other" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Thousands of families have been living</a> in complete uncertainty for months, scattered across villages and towns, unable to return,\u201d he said.</p>
<p>In Tulkarm\u2019s 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 \u201can intentional policy by the Israeli
government to eliminate the camps and prevent the displaced from
returning,\u201d rather than genuine security operations.</p>
<p><a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israeli-forces-raid-unrwa-headquarters-in-occupied-al-quds" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Israeli authorities continue to issue</a>
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.</p>
<p>Residents describe the destruction as collective punishment. Abu
Anas, displaced from Nur Al-Shams, said, \u201cThere\u2019s no explanation for the
destruction except collective punishment,\u201d noting that no armed
fighters had been present in the camp for months.</p>
<h2>'Israel' aiming at demographic engineering</h2>
<p>Observers and Palestinian officials suggest <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/iof-kill-palestinian-teen-in-west-bank-tuqu--with-bullets-to" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"Israel\u2019s" goal is demographic engineering</a>,
aiming to erase the Palestinian refugee presence in strategic areas.
Kamil warned that the operations are intended to \u201calter the geographic
and demographic reality\u201d and eliminate the refugee question entirely.</p>
<p>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\u2019s" current military strategy is part of a
broader apartheid policy, justifying displacement to maintain
\u201cdemographic balance".</p>
<p>UNRWA\u2019s Friedrich cautioned that, unless halted, the demolition
campaign could lead to permanent displacement for tens of thousands.
\u201cThis is not about security,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is about long-term
control.\u201d</p>
<p>Abu Ahmed, displaced from Jenin, summed up the situation, \u201cThis is
not just a war on buildings. It\u2019s a war on our right to exist.\u201d</p></div></div></div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div></div>
</div>
<br></div>