Jerusalem, November 20, 2025 (WAFA) – Human Rights Watch said that the forced displacement carried out by the Israeli government against the residents of three refugee camps in the West Bank in January and February 2025 constitutes war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Human Rights Watch explained in a report issued on Thursday that the Israeli occupation authorities did not allow 32,000 people displaced from the Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps to return to their homes, many of which were deliberately demolished.
“In early 2025, Israeli forces forcibly evicted 32,000 Palestinians from their homes in refugee camps in the West Bank without regard for international legal protections, and did not allow them to return,” said Nadia Hardman, a researcher on refugee and migrant rights at Human Rights Watch. “While the world’s attention was focused on Gaza, Israeli forces committed war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, crimes that should be investigated and prosecuted.”
Human Rights Watch analyzed satellite images, videos, and photographs of Israeli military operations in the three camps, which showed that the occupying forces bulldozed, destroyed, and leveled areas in order to apparently widen pathways within the camps, and closed all entrances.
Human Rights Watch’s analysis of satellite imagery concluded that after six months, more than 850 homes and other buildings in the three camps had been destroyed or severely damaged.
Human Rights Watch said in its report that forcing Palestinians to leave the camps by Israeli authorities also constitutes ethnic cleansing, an illegal term describing the forced evacuation of an area by another ethnic or religious group.
She added that these incursions took place while the spotlight was on Gaza, where Israeli occupation forces committed war crimes, ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity – including forced displacement, extermination, and acts of genocide.
The organization called for an investigation into senior Israeli officials regarding operations in refugee camps, and for them to be appropriately prosecuted, if found responsible, for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the basis of command responsibility. Among those called for are: Avi Blot, commander of the Central Command who was responsible for military operations in the West Bank and oversaw incursions into the camps and demolition orders; Herzi Halevi and Major General Eyal Zamir, who served as Chief of Staff of the Israeli army; Minister in the Ministry of Defense Bezalel Smotrich, who has a seat in the Cabinet; Defense Minister Yisrael Katz; and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court was asked, under the principle of universal jurisdiction, to investigate Israeli officials credibly involved in the atrocious crimes committed in the West Bank, including those in command responsibility roles.
Human Rights Watch stressed in its report the need for governments to impose targeted sanctions against Balout, Zamir, Smotrich, Katz, Netanyahu and other Israeli officials involved in ongoing grave violations in the occupied Palestinian territories, and to pressure Israeli authorities to end their repressive policies, impose an arms embargo, suspend preferential trade agreements with Israel, ban trade with settlements, and implement arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court.
Hardman said: “The escalating Israeli violations in the West Bank underscore the urgent need for governments to act, despite the fragile truce in Gaza, to prevent the Israeli occupation authorities from escalating their repression against Palestinians. They must impose targeted sanctions on Netanyahu, Katz and other senior officials involved in serious crimes against Palestinians, and execute all arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court.”
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