Palestinians forced from West Bank refugee camps left in limbo as Israeli demolitions go on

“They punished ordinary people. This is collective punishment.”

It has been more than nine months since 54-year-old Nehaya al-Jundi last saw her home in the Nur Shams Palestinian refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, after she was forced to evacuate by the Israeli army.

“They punished the camp’s infrastructure, institutions and people.”

In a cafe in nearby Tulkarm, Nehaya tells the BBC about her family’s panicked escape as Israeli troops stormed the camp in early February.

For two days, Nehaya watched and listened in horror as military bulldozers destroyed the area around her home.

“We were surrounded in our house and couldn’t go out,” he recalls, describing how electricity, water and internet connections were cut off.

Eventually, Nehaya escaped with her 75-year-old husband Zaydan and their teenage daughter Salma on February 9.

“When we got out I was shocked at the damage to the area,” he says.

The Israeli army launched “Operation Iron Wall” in late January, sending troops and armor to Nur Shams and two other refugee camps in the northern West Bank to combat Palestinian armed groups it said were responsible for attacks on Israeli soldiers and Jewish settlers.

The operation followed a largely unsuccessful attempt by the Palestinian Authority to suppress the activities of local gunmen, many affiliated with Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad, in areas of the West Bank where it manages and controls security.

By the end of February, the three camps had been almost completely emptied, the largest displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank since Israel occupied the region in the 1967 Six-Day War.

In Jenin, where the largest of the three camps dominates the western side of the city, we hear similar stories of terrified flight and months of displacement.

“We stayed at home for three days without electricity or water,” says Nidal Abu Nase, 54, a development consultant and freelance book editor.

“The shooting never stopped.”

When the opportunity to escape finally came, Nidal’s family left, leaving nothing but their clothes, thinking they would return soon.

“I never managed to get home to pack my things,” he says.

Ten months later, Nidal and at least 32,000 residents of three camps still do not know when they will be allowed to return to their homes.

When that moment finally comes, many will realize they no longer have homes to return to.

Human Rights Watch says Israel destroyed 850 houses and other buildings in all three camps.

Other estimates suggest the extent of damage is much higher.

In a report published earlier this week, HRW said Israel’s forced, prolonged evacuations and resulting destruction “amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.”

“The Geneva Conventions prohibit the removal of civilians from occupied territory except for compelling military reasons or temporary reasons for the safety of the population,” HRW said.

The group said Israel’s actions “could also be considered ‘ethnic cleansing’.”

In February, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said he had instructed the military to “prepare for a long stay in cleared camps for the next year.”

As the end of the year approaches, there is still no end in sight.

A spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces told the BBC that “the IDF had to operate for a long period of time to identify and root out terrorist infrastructure at its source.”

However, as early as August, Katz stated that the operation was successful, saying: “There is no terrorism in the camps and the extent of terrorism alerts in the region.” [the West Bank] “It’s down 80 percent.”

The IDF says it has eliminated bomb-making and other weapons facilities hidden in each of the three camps.

Although the destruction of the camps continues, it is not clear why Operation Iron Wall continues.

From the pattern of destruction and the Israeli army’s own statements, it is clear that the operation had longer-term goals.

In a statement to the BBC, the IDF said armed groups were taking advantage of the densely built environment of the camps, making it difficult for the military to move freely.

“IDF is acting to reshape and stabilize the region,” the IDF spokesman said. “An integral part of this effort is the opening of new access roads within the camps, which requires the demolition of rows of buildings.”

Satellite images from all three camps show the extent of damage; Narrow, barely visible streets are now wide enough for military vehicles, including tanks, to pass.

The IDF spokesman said the demolitions were “based on operational necessity” and residents were able to submit objections and petitions to the Israeli Supreme Court.

All such petitions, some of which argued that Israel’s actions violated international humanitarian law, were rejected.

According to HRW, the Israeli military was given “wide discretion to invoke urgent military necessity grounds.”

HRW called on the Israeli army to stop the forced displacement of Palestinian civilians in the occupied Palestinian territory and allow all residents of Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams to return to their homes.

The future remains uncertain for tens of thousands of displaced people.

Nehaya al-Jundi’s family eventually found refuge in a nearby village. But they had a difficult year in the camp, with their lives turned upside down and most of their belongings no longer accessible.

“Everything has been difficult since we broke up,” he says.

The close-knit community of Nur Shams is scattered throughout the Tulkarm district. Some live with relatives, some in rented houses.

Many are unemployed and dependent on modest aid from the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority and various NGOs.

Education was also seriously affected, as schools run by the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) were also out of action in the camps.

“My children are enrolled in UNRWA schools,” says Nidal Abu Nase, whose family has been living with relatives since January.

“They were left without school for months.”

More importantly, the strong social ties of the camps were broken.

Residents of refugee camps in the West Bank are mostly descendants of Palestinians who fled or were expelled from their homes during the war surrounding Israel’s creation in 1948-49.

“For me, camp is identity and culture,” says Nidal.

“There was love and affection in the camp, but not because we were far from each other anymore,” says Nehaya.

Nehaya hasn’t seen her house since February. Despite recent protests, very few residents have been allowed back into the camps.

The community center, where rehabilitation services for the disabled were provided, was converted into an Israeli military barracks.

Reports from young people who managed to sneak into Nur Shams indicate that Nehaya’s house is no longer habitable.

“They told me the house was wide open and completely destroyed.”

Additional reporting by Alaa Badarneh