UN report raises concerns of 'ethnic cleansing' in 3 West Bank refugee camps


A UN report published Friday said Israel forcibly displaced the entire Palestinian populations of three refugee camps in the occupied West Bank and continues to prevent their return, raising concerns of forcible transfer and "ethnic cleansing."

The UN Human Rights Office report said Israeli forces displaced residents of the Jenin, Nur Shams and Tulkarm refugee camps during Operation Iron Wall in January and February 2025.

Israeli forces killed civilians, destroyed homes and infrastructure, cut water and electricity, and restricted humanitarian access during the operation, according to the report.

More than 33,000 Palestinians were displaced from the three camps, with 33,362 still unable to return as of July, according to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.

The report said the "large-scale, long-term and systematic displacement" raises serious concerns of the crime against humanity of forcible transfer.

It said actions that rendered the camps uninhabitable "appear to amount to collective punishment and raise concerns of ethnic cleansing."

"The way Operation Iron Wall has been conducted suggests its aim was to expel as many Palestinians as possible and to make way for more illegal Israeli settlements, in further violation of international law," UN rights chief Volker Turk said in the report.

According to the report, Israeli forces killed 102 Palestinians, including 21 children, during the period covered.

The fatalities accounted for 46% of all Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank during that period, it said.

By October 2025, 52% of structures in Jenin camp, 48% in Nur Shams and 36% in Tulkarm had been destroyed or damaged, according to the report.

Displaced Palestinians also told the UN office that Israeli officers said there would be "no more refugee camps" and that they should "all go to Jordan."

On Feb. 23, 2025, Israel's defense minister ordered the Israeli army to remain in the three camps and said Palestinians displaced from them would not be allowed to return.