Israel’s Forced Removal of Palestinians in West Bank Refugee Camps Alleged as War Crimes by HRW

Updated by Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 1505 EAT on Friday 21 November 2025

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has alleged that Israel’s forced removal of tens of thousands of Palestinians from refugee camps in the occupied West Bank earlier this year amounts to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

In a 105-page report, the organization said Israeli forces expelled 32,000 Palestinians from three camps in January and February, while international attention was focused on Israel’s war in Gaza. Those displaced have not been allowed to return.

HRW’s findings are based on interviews with 31 displaced Palestinians from the Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur Shams refugee camps, as well as analysis of satellite imagery, Israeli military demolition orders, and verified videos and photographs of military operations.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told CNN that it launched Operation “Iron Wall” in the three West Bank refugee camps ten months ago “in light of the security threats posed by these camps and the growing presence of terrorist elements within them.”

The military said it demolished “rows of buildings” to create “new access routes inside the camps,” adding that the action “was made based on operational necessity, with careful consideration and only after alternative options to achieve the same military advantage were examined.”

The IDF stressed that the demolitions “were conducted lawfully, based on military necessity and with the required proportionality,” and claimed that “terrorism in Judea and Samaria has decreased by 70%” since the start of the operation.

HRW’s report, however, alleges that Israeli forces stormed Jenin refugee camp on January 21, using Apache helicopters, drones, bulldozers, and armored vehicles to forcibly remove Palestinian residents.

Similar operations were carried out in Tulkarem on January 27 and Nur Shams on February 9.

Describing the raids, a 54-year-old woman told HRW, “Israeli soldiers were yelling and throwing things everywhere… it was like a movie scene – some had masks and were carrying all kinds of weapons.”

The report found that displaced Palestinians have not been allowed to return home, and Israeli soldiers reportedly fired on those who attempted to re-enter the camps. Only a small number have been permitted to retrieve their belongings. HRW’s analysis of satellite imagery six months later found that more than 850 homes and other buildings had been damaged or destroyed across the three camps.

The report also said that no shelter or humanitarian assistance was provided by the Israeli military. Residents were left to fend for themselves, seeking refuge wherever they could — crowding into the homes of relatives or friends, or turning to mosques and local charities for support.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) is now calling for senior Israeli officials to be investigated over the expulsions, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, the Central Command commander responsible for military operations in the West Bank, CNN reported.

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