UN report: Israel blocking return of 33,000 Palestinians from West Bank camps

A new report by the UN Human Rights Office has detailed the forcible displacement of more than 33,000 Palestinians from three refugee camps in the occupied West Bank. The operations, which began in January and February 2025, targeted the Jenin, Nur Shams, and Tulkarm camps.

According to the findings, Israeli forces conducted door-to-door operations, compelling residents to leave their homes. The report documents that civilians were killed, hundreds of homes were destroyed, and vital infrastructure, including roads, water, and electricity networks, sustained significant damage.

Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), stated that some displaced Palestinians reported being told by Israeli officers that there would be no more refugee camps and that they should "all go to Jordan."

The UN report notes that Israeli authorities continue to prevent the entire displaced populations of these three camps from returning. The scale and systematic nature of the displacement have raised serious concerns that the actions may constitute the crime against humanity of forcible transfer. The report also suggests that preventing the residents' return could amount to collective punishment and raises concerns of ethnic cleansing.

The UN has called on Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territory and to halt any efforts to forcibly displace more Palestinians, warning that such actions further undermine the contiguity of a future Palestinian state.