‘Ghost camp’: Israeli operations in West Bank push wave of Palestinians from their homes

B’Tselem, the independent Israeli human rights information center for the occupied territories, states that Israeli operations are forcing tens of thousands of West Bank Palestinians such as Lutfi out of their residences.  B’Tselem reported that approximately 40,000 individuals from the Tulkarm, Nur Shams, and Jenin refugee camps have been forced to flee due to the military operation this year.

Malik Lutfi pondered which items from his family’s possessions to rescue during the brief time allowed as Israeli soldiers conducted home demolitions in the Tulkarm refugee camp where he was raised in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

At 51, the father of six is renting a tiny room in the nearby city of Tulkarm, but without access to his electronic repair shop in the restricted camp, he has no income to pay the rent, causing worry about his family’s future.

With bulldozers roaring outside, he said: “They kicked us out six months ago and we are still out. When you go back you try to bring anything you can, but in two hours with only our hands, you cannot bring many things.”

He said he knew many families in a worse situation even than his, pushed to living in crowded schools or on patches of farmland.

“We are waiting for help,” he said.

Israel says it is acting against flashpoints of militancy, including the northern cities of Tulkarm and Jenin.

“This requires the demolition of buildings, allowing the forces to operate freely and move unhindered within the area,” an Israeli military spokesperson said in a statement on Tuesday.

“The decision to demolish these structures is based on operational necessity and was made only after considering alternative options,” the statement said.

Israeli demolitions have sparked significant global backlash and align with increasing apprehensions among Palestinians regarding a coordinated initiative by Israel to officially incorporate the West Bank, the territory captured by Israel during the 1967 Middle East conflict.

. Residents loaded trucks with chairs, blankets, and cooking supplies. Abdullah Kamil, the governor of Tulkarm, noted that in the past few weeks, the level of destruction has escalated, with 106 homes and 104 additional structures in the nearby Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps being demolished. Israel’s operation in the northern West Bank, which started in January, is among the most extensive since the Palestinian Second Intifada over 20 years ago, engaging multiple brigades of troops earlier this year supported by drones, helicopters, and, for the first time in decades, heavy tanks.

As Washington and Qatar increase their efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, some global officials and human rights organizations express concerns about the escalating situation for Palestinians in the West Bank. Israeli hardliners, both in government and beyond, have repeatedly advocated for Israel to annex the West Bank, a kidney-shaped region approximately 100 kilometres (62 miles) long, which Palestinians regard as central to a future independent state, including Gaza and East Jerusalem as its capital.

Israeli government officials claim that the operation in the West Bank serves no broader goal than fighting militant factions. The Israeli military stated it was adhering to international law and focusing on militancy. Kamil, the Palestinian governor, mentioned that the displacement was straining a community already struggling economically, with thousands finding refuge in mosques, schools, and cramped homes with family.