West Bank, 26 February 2025 — Israeli forces have forcibly displaced 40,000 Palestinians from refugee camps in the occupied West Bank’s Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams areas with residents unable to return to their homes.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed that the military will remain in these areas for up to a year, preventing the return of displaced Palestinians.
"The Israeli military is expanding its operations in the northern West Bank, and starting tonight, it will also operate in the town of Qabatiya," Katz stated on Sunday.
He also mentioned that 40,000 Palestinians have been "evacuated" from the affected camps.
Katz added, "I instructed the [army] to prepare for a long stay in the camps that were cleared, for the coming year, and not allow residents to return."
The ‘military operation’, which began earlier this month, has led to severe restrictions on movement.
The Israel military also imposed a two-day curfew in Qabatiya, where, according to Jenin Governor Kamal Abu Al-Rub, "the occupation forces started a military operation in the town and imposed a 48-hour curfew as of this morning."
Qabatiya Mayor Ahmad Zakarneh described the ongoing situation to Anadolu, stating that Israeli troopers were preventing anyone from entering or leaving the town.
"Military bulldozers continued to destroy streets and infrastructure as forces were deployed amid raids on homes, with some turned into military barracks," he said.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) warned of an escalating crisis in the northern West Bank, noting that the Israeli military’s operations are leading to a rapid increase in forced displacement.
"The use of air strikes, armoured bulldozers, tanks, detonations, and advanced weaponry by the Israeli Forces has become commonplace," UNRWA said in a recent statement.
The agency also noted that repeated Israeli operations have left many refugee camps uninhabitable, creating a cycle of displacement that traps families in an increasingly dangerous environment.
In addition to the recent displacement, UNRWA reported that over 60 percent of forced displacements last year were caused by Israeli military operations.
These actions have already led to at least 60 deaths and thousands of injuries in the northern West Bank.
Since the beginning of Israel's war on Gaza in October 2023, the violence has spread to the West Bank, with nearly 7,000 Palestinians injured and at least 923 killed, according to the Health Ministry.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled in July 2024 that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Despite the ruling, Israeli military activity continues, intensifying the humanitarian crisis in the region.