Israel emptying West Bank refugee camps could be crime against humanity

The UN's human rights office has warned that Israel's forced removal of all Palestinians from three West Bank refugee camps last year could constitute crimes against humanity. In a recently released report, the office detailed how a military operation, dubbed Operation Iron Wall, resulted in the displacement of over 33,000 Palestinians from refugee camps in Jenin, Nur Shams, and Tulkarm.

According to the UN, Israeli forces entered the camps, killing civilians, destroying homes, damaging infrastructure, and cutting off water, electricity, and humanitarian access. The report stated that the operation aimed to forcibly displace the entire population, raising serious concerns about the crime of forcible transfer, a form of ethnic cleansing, under international law.

As of July 2025, 33,362 displaced Palestinians had not been allowed to return. The UN's rights chief, Volker Turk, emphasized that the manner in which the operation was carried out suggests its primary objective was to expel Palestinians and clear the way for the establishment of new illegal Israeli settlements, further violating international law.