Gaza: A report issued today by the United Nations Human Rights Office stated that Israeli forces forcibly displaced the entire Palestinian populations of three refugee camps in the occupied West Bank in January and February 2025 and have continued to prevent their return, in violation of international law.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, the report, titled Destruction of Palestinian Refugee Camps in the northern West Bank, documented military attacks in the Jenin, Nur Shams, and Tulkarm refugee camps that resulted in civilian casualties, the destruction of hundreds of homes, damage to roads, disruptions to water and electricity supplies, and restrictions on humanitarian access. Israeli forces also conducted house-to-house searches that forced residents to leave.
The report highlighted that by October 2025, approximately 52% of buildings in Jenin refugee camp, 48% in Nur Shams refugee camp, and 36% in Tulkarm refugee camp had been destroyed or damaged during the Israeli military offensive.
The UN Human Rights Office said its independent monitoring and documentation showed that Israeli forces consolidated their control over the three camps within days of the assault and forcibly displaced their residents. Some displaced Palestinians reported that Israeli officers had stated there would be no more refugee camps and that residents should all relocate to Jordan.
The report warned that the large-scale, prolonged, and systematic displacement of more than 33,000 Palestinians from the three camps raises serious concerns over the commission of the crime against humanity of forcible transfer. It stated that the use of airstrikes, armored bulldozers, and controlled demolitions to render entire camps uninhabitable, while forcing residents to leave and preventing their return in the absence of imperative military necessity, is prohibited under international law and appears to amount to collective punishment, raising concerns over ethnic cleansing.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Trk commented on the offensive, indicating that its aim was to remove as many Palestinians as possible and make way for further illegal Israeli colonies, describing this as a violation of international law.
Trk urged Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territory, halt attempts to forcibly displace Palestinians, and take steps to comply with its obligations under international law, including the International Court of Justice's finding that Israel must end its unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territory as rapidly as possible.
The report documented that approximately 102 Palestinians, including 21 children, were killed by Israeli forces during the offensive in the period covered, accounting for 46% of all killings carried out by Israeli forces in the West Bank during that period. It also recorded the use of airstrikes, armed drones, and shoulder-fired explosive projectiles, weaponry designed for warfare rather than law enforcement, which killed and injured civilians who posed no apparent threat.