Daijiworld Media Network - Ramallah
Ramallah, Dec 16: The Israeli military is set to demolish 25 residential buildings in the Nur Shams refugee camp in the occupied West Bank this week, according to local Palestinian authorities.
Abdallah Kamil, governor of the Tulkarem governorate where Nur Shams is located, told AFP on Monday that he was informed of the planned demolitions by COGAT, the Israeli Defence Ministry body overseeing civilian affairs in the occupied territories.
Faisal Salama, head of the popular committee for the nearby Tulkarem refugee camp, said the demolition orders would affect around 100 family homes.
Israel launched “Operation Iron Wall” in the northern West Bank in January, saying the campaign is aimed at combating armed groups operating in refugee camps in the area.
Human rights organisations have expressed concern over the scale of demolitions, warning that Israel is employing tactics similar to those used during its military operations in Gaza. Reporting from Ramallah, Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh said that about 1,500 homes have been demolished or damaged over the past year across three refugee camps, resulting in the displacement of nearly 32,000 Palestinians.
Palestinians and rights groups argue that the demolitions are intended to reshape geography in the West Bank and restrict Palestinian movement.
On Monday, several displaced Nur Shams residents staged a protest in front of Israeli military vehicles blocking access to the camp, demanding an end to the demolitions and the right to return to their homes.
Palestinian National Council president Rouhi Fattouh described the decision as part of what he termed “ethnic cleansing and continuous forced displacement”, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
Residents facing demolition expressed despair. “On the day it happened, no one checked on us or asked about us,” said Aisha Dama, whose four-storey family home housing around 30 people is among those slated for demolition. Another resident, Siham Hamayed, said multiple homes belonging to her family were to be destroyed, leaving her relatives without shelter.
Nur Shams, like other refugee camps in the West Bank, was established after the 1948 Nakba, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were displaced from their homes. Over the decades, the camps have evolved into densely populated neighbourhoods, with refugee status passed down through generations.