Displacement, Destruction, and Siege: A Year of Israeli Aggression on Camps in Northern West Bank

SadaNews: For a full year, the Israeli occupation army has been continuing its extensive military campaign against Palestinian refugee camps in the northern West Bank, under the name "The Iron Wall," which began in Jenin on January 21, 2025, with no signs of a near cessation of its repercussions.

This operation has turned the Jenin camp, along with the Tulkarem and Noor Shams camps, into areas nearly devoid of inhabitants, after experiencing repeated assaults and acts of forced displacement. A week after the aggression began in Jenin, the operation extended to Tulkarem and its camps, and then partially reached the Al-Faraa camp in the Tubas governorate and the northern Jordan Valley.

According to the "Latest Updates on the Humanitarian Situation" report issued by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on November 12, 2025, this ongoing military operation since the beginning of the year has resulted in the longest and widest displacement crisis witnessed in the West Bank since 1967, as approximately 32,000 Palestinian refugees have been displaced from the Jenin, Tulkarem, Noor Shams camps and the surrounding areas.

The report also revealed that 1,460 buildings have been completely or partially destroyed in the three camps, including 676 buildings in Jenin (52% of the camp's buildings), 382 buildings in Noor Shams (48% of its buildings), and 402 buildings in Tulkarem (36% of its buildings).

In light of this reality, the camps are entering a highly dangerous phase with the continued military aggression, policies of forced displacement, and attempts to alter their characteristics, in addition to the targeting of UNRWA. With the occupation threatening to expand its operations to other camps, concerns are increasing over deep humanitarian and political repercussions that threaten the essence of the Palestinian cause and aim to liquidate it.