Demolishing more homes in the West Bank camps

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), in a statement, indicated that “the Israeli security forces began today, demolishing more than 16 buildings in Nour Shams camp in Tulkarm, in the northern West Bank.” She stated that “this comes less than a week after the demolition of 11 houses in the same camp, and 14 other houses in the Tulkarm camp and the demolition of controlling it in Jenin camp about a month ago, which made the camp in unbalanced.”

She considered that “these large -scale demolitions represent a new, worrying pattern and that it has an unprecedented impact on Palestinian refugees and seeks to change the characteristics of the camps in the northern West Bank permanently.”

She said: “The demolitions have occurred in the context of the so -called” Iron Wall “operation that the Israeli security forces have been carrying out since January 21 in the northern West Bank, which is the longest and most destructive process since the second intifada.

She pointed out that “this process resulted in the largest displacement of the Palestinians in the West Bank since 1967, when it was forced about 40,000 people to leave their homes,” noting that “the camps of Jenin, Tulkarm and Nour Shams have almost cleared their residents.”

She stated that “people, in light of the widespread destruction of civil infrastructure, including homes, are facing the possibility of no place to return to it.”

She explained that “her teams on the ground are working to meet the needs of the displaced, in light of the constantly shrinking humanitarian space in the West Bank.”

She said: “The Israeli anti -UNRWA laws, which entered into force on January 30, caused a vacuum in the presence of international protection where the need is intensified.”

The Israeli Knesset has adopted two laws, one of which would stop the work of UNRWA in the occupied Palestinian territory, and the other prohibits Israeli officials to communicate with the agency.