Emptying West Bank refugee camps may be a war crime: UN
GENEVA: The United Nations warned on Friday that Israel’s forced displacement of the entire Palestinian populations of three West Bank refugee camps last year could amount to crimes against humanity. The UN rights office described how a military operation launched in the north of the occupied territory in January 2025 had forcibly displaced over 33,000 people. At the start of operation “Iron…
The United Nations has warned that Israel's forced displacement of Palestinians from three West Bank refugee camps may constitute a war crime, specifically the crime against humanity of forcible transfer. This comes after a military operation, dubbed "Iron Wall," carried out in January 2025, resulted in the displacement of over 33,000 Palestinians.
The UN rights office detailed how Israeli forces entered the camps, killing civilians, destroying homes, damaging infrastructure, cutting off essential services, and ultimately forcing residents to leave door-to-door. As of July 2026, 33,362 Palestinian refugees displaced from these camps had not been allowed to return.
The UN rights chief, Volker Turk, stated that the operation's methods, including airstrikes, armored bulldozers, and controlled detonations, appear to violate international law. He suggested that the operation's aim was to expel Palestinians and pave the way for Israeli settlements, further violating international law. The UN has also expressed concerns over ethnic cleansing and collective punishment.
In a separate development, two Israeli ministers have proposed the mass removal of Palestinians from Gaza, reigniting fears of forcible expulsion among Palestinians. This proposal has been met with strong opposition from Hamas, which called on Arab and Islamic countries to take unified action to prevent such plans.
Written by urgent.news from Dawn's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
