UN Human Rights Office criticizes Israeli operation in Palestinian refugee camps in northern West Bank

The UN Human Rights Office published a new report titled "Destruction of Palestinian refugee camps in the north of the West Bank".

The report stated that the Israeli army's attacks on the city of Jenin and the refugee camp in the north of the occupied West Bank, located in the north of the occupied West Bank, within the scope of the operation called "Iron Wall" are continuing. It was noted that the Israeli army, police and other forces killed civilians, destroyed hundreds of houses, destroyed roads and infrastructure, cut off water and electricity, and prevented humanitarian access to the Jenin, Nur Shams and Tulkarm refugee camps.

The report pointed out that Israeli forces went from house to house and forced civilians to leave, and made the following evaluations:

"As of October 2025, approximately 52 percent of the structures in the Jenin Refugee Camp, 48 percent of the structures in the Nur Shams Refugee Camp, and 36 percent of the structures in the Tulkarm Refugee Camp were destroyed or damaged during the Israeli operation. In January and February 2025, Israeli security forces forcibly displaced the entire Palestinian population of three refugee camps in the occupied West Bank and international "He is still preventing their return in violation of the law."

The report stated that these three camps are among a total of 19 camps in the West Bank, established to shelter Palestinian refugees after the mass forced displacement during the Nakba (Great Catastrophe) in 1948 and managed by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

The report stated that Israeli soldiers told some displaced Palestinians that "they could no longer stay in the refugee camp" and that "they all had to go to Jordan."

It was stated that during the period covered by the report (December 2024-January 2026), 102 Palestinians, including 21 children, were killed in attacks by Israeli forces, and this constituted 46 percent of all deaths caused by Israeli forces in the West Bank during this period.

"Israel must end its illegal existence as soon as possible"

Recalling that the Israeli Minister of Defense ordered the Israeli army to stay in all 3 camps on February 23, 2025 and that the displaced Palestinians would not be allowed to return, the report noted that UNRWA stated that 33 thousand 362 forcibly displaced Palestinian refugees were still in these camps as of July.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, whose views are included in the report, said: "The way Operation Iron Wall is being carried out shows that its aim is to deport as many Palestinians as possible and make room for more illegal Israeli settlements, in further violation of international law." he said.

Calling on Israel to end its 59-year occupation of Palestinian lands and its efforts to forcibly displace more Palestinians and further undermine the integrity of the future Palestinian state, Turk said:

“It must take steps to comply with its obligations under international law, as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) made clear more than two years ago, that it must end its illegal presence in the occupied Palestinian territory as soon as possible.”