UN raises ‘ethnic cleansing’ concerns over Israeli West Bank operation

More than 33,000 Palestinian refugees stay displaced since Israel launched Operation Iron Wall.

Israel’s subject actions resulting successful the displacement of entire Palestinian populations successful 3 exile camps successful the occupied West Bank “appear to magnitude to corporate punishment and rise concerns of taste cleansing”, a United Nations Human Rights study has found.

Israel’s Operation Iron Wall successful January and February 2025 killed 102 Palestinians and displaced much than 33,000 residents from the Jenin, Nur Shams and Tulkarem exile camps, said the report, titled Destruction of Palestinian exile camps successful bluish West Bank.

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Displaced Palestinians reported being told by Israeli officers that determination would beryllium nary much exile camps and that they should “all spell to Jordan”.

Such large-scale, semipermanent and systematic displacement of the Palestinian colonisation could magnitude to a transgression against humanity of forcible transfer, the report by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said connected Friday.

It stressed that the usage of aerial strikes, armoured bulldozers and controlled detonations to render full areas uninhabitable and forestall the instrumentality of residents, successful the lack of imperative subject necessity, is not permissible nether planetary law.

“The mode Operation Iron Wall has been conducted suggests its purpose was to expel arsenic galore Palestinians arsenic imaginable and to marque mode for much amerciable Israeli settlements, successful further usurpation of planetary law,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk.

The 3 camps are among a full of 19 successful the West Bank that were established to structure Palestinian refugees aft the wide forced expulsion during the Nakba successful 1948 and person been administered by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

As of July, astir 33,362 displaced Palestinian refugees from these camps remained forcibly displaced, according to UNRWA.

At slightest 21 children were killed by Israeli forces during the subject cognition successful the play covered by the report. Saddam Hussein Rajab, aged 10, was changeable successful the tummy successful Tulkarem portion waiting for his begetter to spell to the mosque. In Jenin, a two-year-old miss was changeable successful the caput by Israeli forces portion having meal with her parent and aunt.

The study stressed that Israel “must extremity its unlawful beingness successful the occupied Palestinian territory arsenic rapidly arsenic possible” and “halt immoderate efforts to forcibly displace much Palestinians”.