Tens of thousands of Palestinians flee West Bank refugee camps

By Ali Sawafta

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Palestinians living in refugee camps in the occupied West Bank have left their homes as a weeks-long Israeli offensive has demolished houses and torn up vital infrastructure in the heavily built up townships, Palestinian authorities said.

Israeli forces began their operation in the refugee camp in the northern West Bank city of Jenin on Jan. 21, deploying hundreds of troops and bulldozers that demolished houses and dug up roads, driving almost all of the camp's residents out.

"We don't know what's going on in the camp but there is continuous demolition and roads being dug up," said Mohammed al-Sabbagh, head of the Jenin camp services committee.

The operation, which Israel says is aimed at thwarting 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 been devastated.

The camps, built for descendants of Palestinian refugees who fled or were driven from their homes in the 1948 war around the creation of the state of Israel, have long been major centres for armed militant groups.

They have been raided repeatedly by the Israeli military but the current operation, which began as a ceasefire was agreed in Gaza, has been on an unusually large scale.

According to figures from the Palestinian Authority, around 17,000 people have now left Jenin refugee camp, leaving the site almost completely deserted, while in Nur Shams 6,000 people, or about two thirds of the total, have left, with another 10,000 leaving from Tulkarm camp.

"The ones who are left are trapped," said Nihad al-Shawish, head of the Nur Shams camp services committee. "The Civil Defence, the Red Crescent and the Palestinian security forces brought them some food yesterday but the army is still bulldozing and destroying the camp."

The Israeli raids have demolished dozens of houses and torn up large stretches of roadway as well as cutting off water and power, but the military has denied forcing residents to leave their homes.

"People obviously have the possibility to move or go where they want, if they will. But if they don't, they're allowed to stay," Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani told reporters.

The operation began as Israel moved to banish the main U.N. Palestinian relief organization UNRWA from its headquarters in East Jerusalem and cut it off from any contact with Israeli officials.

The ban, which took effect at the end of January, has hit UNRWA's work in the West Bank and Gaza, where it provides aid for millions of Palestinians in the refugee camps.

Israel has accused UNRWA of cooperating with Hamas and said some UNRWA workers even took part in the Hamas-led attack on communities in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 that set off the 15-month war in Gaza.

(Writing by James Mackenzie, Editing by William Maclean)