Palestinian authorities have stated that many of their people living in refugee camps in the occupied West Bank have fled their homes as a weeks-long Israeli offensive has demolished houses and destroyed vital infrastructure in the densely built-up townships.
Israeli forces began their operation in the refugee camp in the northern West Bank city of Jenin on 21 January, deploying hundreds of troops and bulldozers that demolished houses and dug up roads, forcing almost all of the camp’s residents to flee.
The head of the Jenin camp services committee, Mohammed al-Sabbagh, said they do not know what is happening in the camp, adding that demolitions are ongoing and roads continue to be dug up.
The operation, which Israel claims is aimed at dismantling Iranian-backed militant groups in the West Bank, has since been extended to other camps, notably the Tulkarm refugee camp and the nearby Nur Shams camp, both of which have also suffered extensive devastation.
The camps, built for descendants of Palestinian refugees who fled or were expelled during the 1948 war following the creation of the state of Israel, have long been strongholds for armed militant groups.
The Israeli military has repeatedly raided these camps, but the current operation, which began as a ceasefire was agreed in Gaza, has been conducted on an unusually large scale.
According to figures from the Palestinian Authority, no fewer than 17,000 people have now left Jenin refugee camp, leaving the site almost completely deserted, while approximately 6,000 have fled Nur Shams, and another 10,000 have left Tulkarm camp.
