The forced displacement of Palestinian communities in the northern West Bank is escalating at an alarming pace.
Since the start of operation "Iron Wall" by the Israeli Forces on 21 January, several refugee camps have been nearly emptied of their residents. The operation, ongoing for nearly three weeks, is now the single longest in the West Bank since the second intifada.
Starting in Jenin Camp, the operation has expanded to Tulkarm, Nur Shams, and El Far'a refugee camps and led to the displacement of 40,000 Palestine Refugees.
The Israeli Forces began carrying out large-scale operations in the occupied West Bank in mid-2023. Since then, thousands of families have been forcibly displaced. Repeated and destructive operations have rendered the northern refugee camps uninhabitable, trapping residents in cyclical displacement. In 2024, more than 60 per cent of displacement was a result of Israeli Forces operations, absent any judicial orders.
Forced displacement in the occupied West Bank is the result of an increasingly dangerous and coercive environment. The use of air strikes, armoured bulldozers, controlled detonations, and advanced weaponry by the Israeli Forces has become commonplace - a spillover of the war in Gaza. Such militarised approaches are inconsistent with the law enforcement context of the occupied West Bank, where there have been at least 38 airstrikes in 2025 alone.
Armed Palestinians are also increasingly active in the northern West Bank, deploying improvised explosive devices inside refugee camps, including near UNRWA facilities and civilian infrastructure. They have engaged in violent clashes with both Israeli and Palestinian Forces. From December 2024 onwards, Palestinian Forces operations further exacerbated displacement from Jenin camp.
UNRWA reiterates that civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected at all times and that collective punishment is never acceptable.
Jenin Camp stands empty today, evoking memories of the second intifada. This scene stands to be repeated in other camps. Under the Knesset laws implemented on 30 January, UNRWA no longer has any contact with the Israeli authorities, making it impossible to raise concerns about civilian suffering or the urgent need for the delivery of humanitarian assistance. This puts at grave risk the lives of Palestine Refugees and the UNRWA staff that serve them.
UNRWA is the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. The United Nations General Assembly established UNRWA in 1949 with a mandate to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to registered Palestine refugees in the Agency's area of operations pending a just and lasting solution to their plight.
UNRWA operates in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, The Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
Tens of thousands of Palestine refugees who lost their homes and livelihoods due to the 1948 conflict continue to be displaced and in need of support, nearly 75 years on.
UNRWA helps Palestine Refugees achieve their full potential in human development through quality services it provides in education, health care, relief and social services, protection, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance, and emergency assistance. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.
