DayofPal– Israeli forces continue their relentless aggression against Palestinians in the Nur Shams and Tulkarm refugee camps in the northern West Bank, carrying out widespread destruction, forced displacement, and arrests.
The ongoing assault, which has entered its 41st consecutive day, has left thousands of Palestinians homeless and without essential services.
Since the beginning of the offensive, Israeli forces have demolished and destroyed 632 homes and establishments. In the past 28 days alone, Nur Shams refugee camp has faced continuous raids, mass arrests, and systematic demolitions.
The Israeli military has detained approximately 190 Palestinians in Tulkarm’s refugee camps during large-scale arrest operations, conducting 475 house raids. So far, at least 13 Palestinians have been killed.
As part of the Israeli offensive, waves of forced displacement have soured. Around 25,000 residents from Tulkarm and Nur Shams have been forced to flee, including 12,000 from Tulkarm camp and 13,000 from Nur Shams.
Those who remained have been left under siege, facing severe shortages of food, water, medicine, and baby formula.
The scale of destruction in these camps is unprecedented. Entire neighborhoods have been leveled, homes have been demolished or set ablaze, and commercial properties have been destroyed. The devastation has been so extensive that returning residents struggle to recognize their own streets.
A Small Gaza
Nihad Al-Shawish, head of the Nur Shams Refugee Camp Services Committee, stated that nearly all 13,000 residents of the camp have been forcibly displaced. “Today, they forced out the remaining 3,000 people. No one is left inside the camp,” he said.
Palestinian activist Mahmoud Al-Afghani emphasized that Israel is deliberately changing the geographic and demographic nature of the refugee camps by destroying homes that have existed for decades.
“The occupation forces have turned homes into military bases, breaking into them, evicting families at gunpoint, and using them for their operations,” he added.
A displaced Palestinian, carrying a bag with only a few belongings for his children, said, “We came back to see what happened to our homes, but the destruction is beyond anything we have ever witnessed.”
He noted that Israeli forces had demolished more than 50 houses and feared the displacement would last indefinitely.
Another man who returned to check on his house after fleeing to the city of Tulkarm described the situation with grief: “The memories of my childhood were destroyed by Israeli bulldozers. This place is unrecognizable now.”
A resident standing among the ruins of his home summed up the devastation in just three words: “This is a small Gaza,” referring to the scale of destruction similar to what Gaza has faced under Israeli bombardments.
Despite the suffering, many Palestinians refuse to abandon their homes permanently. Rabi’ Khalifa, standing beside his family’s home that is slated for demolition, declared: “Five families live here, including my mother. We were born and raised in this house, and now the occupation wants to erase everything. But we will not leave.”
Khalifa pointed out that Israeli forces have altered the camp’s infrastructure significantly. “The street outside my house used to be three meters wide; now it’s 20 meters. The occupation is reshaping everything to fit its plans,” he explained.
A Strategy of Ethnic Cleansing
The Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements have accused Israel of attempting to “redesign” and reshape refugee camps in the West Bank through ethnic cleansing.
Hamas leader Abdul Rahman Shadid condemned the ongoing destruction, stating, “The occupation’s policy of demolition and displacement aims to eliminate refugee camps and erase the right of return.”
He warned that the destruction in Tulkarm and Jenin is only the beginning: “What is happening here will spread to all refugee camps in the West Bank, as openly stated by Israeli leaders.”
Shadid also urged Palestinians to unite against Israeli aggression, stating, “The occupation has failed to end the Palestinian cause because our people refuse to forget. The older generations have passed down the keys to their homes and the spirit of resistance to their children.”
The Islamic Jihad movement also denounced the forced expulsions and home demolitions, calling them “a brutal crime that exposes the true face of the Israeli occupying.” The movement also warned that Israel would bear full responsibility for the suffering inflicted on Palestinian families.
Palestinian leaders and human rights organizations have called on the international community to take immediate action against Israel’s violations.
“The world’s silence gives Israel a green light to continue its war crimes without accountability,” stated a spokesperson for Islamic Jihad.
With no end in sight, Palestinians in Nur Shams and Tulkarm camps remain steadfast in their defiance, determined to rebuild their lives and resist attempts to erase their history. “We will stay,” Khalifa said. “No force can make us forget who we are.”
Shortlink for this post: https://daysofpalestine.ps/?p=61196
