{"id":15090,"date":"2025-08-22T01:01:22","date_gmt":"2025-08-22T01:01:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/15090\/"},"modified":"2025-08-22T01:01:22","modified_gmt":"2025-08-22T01:01:22","slug":"israeli-offensive-forces-exodus-from-west-bank-refugee-camp-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/15090\/","title":{"rendered":"Israeli offensive forces exodus from West Bank refugee camp \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Even from such a distance, the Israeli<\/a> flag was clearly visible, hanging from a building in what remained of the Palestinian<\/a> neighbourhood. <\/p>\n

A man who lives across the valley pointed out a second flag, then a third \u2013 his count eventually reaching five.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s nobody there. All the houses are empty,\u201d he said sadly, adding that locals could be shot for even approaching. \u201c[Only] the Israeli army is in there doing nothing. They just go into the houses and they sit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nur Shams camp lies in the northern West Bank<\/a> city of Tulkarem. It was established in 1952, for Palestinians displaced by the creation of Israel in 1948, in what they call the Nakba, or \u201ccatastrophe\u201d. <\/p>\n

Two years ago, the UN said nearly 14,000 people were registered as living there, across 0.21sq km (0.08sq m) of land. Now, it is practically empty. <\/p>\n

An Israeli military offensive earlier this year drove more than 40,000 Palestinians from their homes, including Nur Sham\u2019s residents. Since then, many homes have been bulldozed \u2013 the flattened lines are visible from across the valley \u2013 and locals say they have no idea if they can ever return to the buildings which are still standing. <\/p>\n

Nehaya Aljonde (54) said she spent three days trapped inside her home, with her husband and 14-year-old daughter, in February, as the Israeli military raided the camp. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey cut off the electronics, the water. It was winter and it was cold,\u201d she recalled. \u201cAll the area was army. The bulldozer was in front of my window, I was so scared. The sound was so loud.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AA Palestinian woman cries as Israeli army demolishes homes using heavy machinery in Nur Shams refugee camp in May 2025. Photograph: Issam Rimawi\/ Anadolu via Getty Images <\/p>\n

At the end, she was ordered to leave. \u201cIt was raining … The [Israeli] army were with us and they searched us. I brought one small bag with clothes and medicines. We didn\u2019t expect to leave. We left the door open.\u201d She has not been allowed to go back.<\/p>\n

Aljonde says she loved living in Nur Shams: \u201cThe kids, the women, the culture, the schools.\u201d Leaving, she says, was the \u201chardest moment of my life. I lived all my life there and I still want to live there.\u201d<\/p>\n

[\u00a0\u2018We have no choice\u2019: Palestinian women reveal exploitation working in Israeli settlementsOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

She received no compensation, apart from 600 shekels (\u20ac152) from the Palestinian Authority, which ostensibly controls Tulkarem and other Palestinian cities in the West Bank. Aljonde is renting a house now.<\/p>\n

Aljonde \u2013 who heads an association for people with disabilities in Nur Shams \u2013 said she sees no valid reason for the expulsions. \u201cIt\u2019s collective punishment. Disabled people, elderly, and innocent people, most of them.\u201d <\/p>\n

She says there were 180 people with disabilities living in the camp, most of whom lost their homes too.<\/p>\n

An Israeli warplane rumbles above as she speaks. Gesturing to the sky, she says the only thing that will stop the Israelis is \u201cGod,\u201d and then pauses. \u201cOr [US president Donald] Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PalestiniansPalestinians take their belongings from their homes following the Israeli army’s demolition of several Palestinian homes in Nur Shams refugee camp in May. Photograph: Issam Rimawi\/ Anadolu via Getty Images Operation Iron Wall<\/p>\n

The Israeli military offensive in the northern West Bank \u2013 which Israel called \u201cOperation Iron Wall\u201d \u2013 began two days after the short-lived Gaza ceasefire came into effect on January 21st, 2025. <\/p>\n

For years, Israel has been carrying out raids there, but it said the new \u2013 intensified \u2013 offensive was necessary to ensure security in the West Bank, which far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, said was being adopted as an official \u201cwar goal\u201d. <\/p>\n

The offensive particularly targeted three camps \u2013 Jenin refugee camp, Nur Shams, and Tulkarem camp \u2013 long seen as centres of armed resistance.<\/p>\n

The UN recorded \u201chelicopter gunfire, air strikes, ground force operations and the deployment of tanks for the first time since the early 2000s\u201d. <\/p>\n

Between January and June this year, 126 Palestinians were killed, the UN said, including 41 in Jenin, 20 in Tubas and 13 in Tulkarem governorate. <\/p>\n

Those killed by Israeli forces in Nur Shams camp in February included Sundus Shalabi, a 20-year-old pregnant woman, along with her husband and Rahaf al-Ashqar (21), according to Israeli human rights group B\u2019tselem.<\/p>\n

\"IsraeliIsraeli military vehicles during an Israeli army raid in the Nur Shams refugee camp last October. Photograph: EPA <\/p>\n

Since the beginning of 2023, at least 1,182 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank, including at least 242 children, UN figures show. The vast majority were killed by live ammunition and by Israeli forces. Over the same period, at least 82 Israelis have been killed there, including 29 soldiers.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the camps in the northern West Bank had become \u201chubs of terrorism, with militants operating from within civilian neighbourhoods\u201d.<\/p>\n

Most of the civilian population left \u201cas a result of the activity of the armed Palestinian terrorist groups\u201d which, in the Jenin area specifically, followed an operation by the Palestinian Authority against them,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

While they said it does not \u201cevacuate\u201d the population, \u201cthe IDF has allowed local residents who wish to distance themselves from combat areas to leave safely through designated crossings … so that residents can return to their homes once the security operation is completed\u201d. <\/p>\n

The spokesperson said the IDF has also allowed residents to go back to collect belongings, though did not answer questions as to when it will be possible for them to fully return.<\/p>\n

\"ResidentsResidents of the Nur Shams refugee camp evacuate their homes during an Israeli military operation in Tulkarem city and its two camps, West Bank in March of this year. Photograph: EPA Photos of \u2018martyrs\u2019<\/p>\n

Palestinians in the occupied West Bank feel they are caught in a bind, further than ever from their own functional Palestinian state, but similarly far from equal rights in a single state where they would not be subjected to the oppression and humiliations that accompany a military occupation. <\/p>\n

While many believe peaceful resistance has not worked, they argue armed resistance provides a justification or pretext for Israeli forces to increase violence and abuses.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0\u2018This is the homeland of Jesus\u2019: Palestinian Christians plead for end to attacks by West Bank settlersOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Under international law \u201cthe population in [an] occupied territory does not have any duty of allegiance to the occupying power,\u201d said Eitan Diamond, who manages the Diakonia International Humanitarian Law Centre in Jerusalem, last year. \u201cFrom their perspective, the occupant is an alien power that seized control of their territory through force of arms.\u201d <\/p>\n

However, though some armed resistance is legal, it must be \u201cundertaken in a lawful manner\u201d, which means not attacking civilians, for example, and keeping to \u201cmilitary objectives\u201d.<\/p>\n

Israeli human rights organisation B\u2019tselem has warned that \u201cany trigger\u201d could cause what they determine to be a genocide in Gaza to spread to the West Bank, or other areas under Israeli control.<\/p>\n

Already, the old city of Nablus is lined with photos of \u201cmartyrs\u201d \u2013 men, and sometimes children \u2013 killed by Israeli forces. <\/p>\n

They are visible along walls and on a clock tower outside the Al Nasr Mosque, which Israeli forces raided earlier this year, before setting parts of it on fire. <\/p>\n

\"TheThe old city of Nablus is lined with photos of ‘martyrs’ – men and sometimes children – killed by Israeli forces. Photograph: Sally Hayden \"PostersPosters in a cemetery in Nablus commemorate deceased Palestinians. Photograph: Sally Hayden <\/p>\n

Some were members of the Lion\u2019s Den, a militant group founded by young men in Nablus a few years ago, which carried out attacks on soldiers, checkpoints and near settlements. It gained support among young Palestinians through militants sharing videos on social media, including TikTok.<\/p>\n

As in Tulkarem and Jenin, which had their own local militant groups<\/a>, some of which received funding from Iran \u2013 almost all of those involved with the Lion\u2019s Den have now been killed or locked up, several Palestinians with good knowledge of the situation said. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey were badly trained and badly organised,\u201d said one Nablus local, who did not want to be named. \u201cPeople here believe that the Israelis were hunting them like they were hunting birds … they found all of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

We passed the test of patience and the world failed when it comes to democracy and human rights<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The man said locals no longer counted \u201cthe numbers nor the names\u201d of the dead. \u201cWe, the citizens of Nablus, understand this now: if you use your hand to slap the Israelis, they will use their aircrafts to destroy your neighbourhood. They are not normal and it is not equal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a generational genocide,\u201d said a Palestinian academic and activist, walking through a cemetery in Nablus. He pointed out the graves of those who were killed \u2013 some of whom were militants and others civilians; some recently and others a long time ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou will see a lot of kids murdered, of course no investigation, no accountability,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Israelis touched every house, every family … History did not start on October 7th.\u201d<\/p>\n

Regular raids\"GhassanGhassan Daghlas, the governor of Nablus, says the area is under Israeli siege which has “destroyed our life”. Photograph: Sally Hayden <\/p>\n

The Palestinian Authority (PA) is unpopular among many Palestinians, who say the current crises could not have developed without what they perceive as its co-operation and failures. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe PA [has] discouraged any kind of resistance, even emotional resistance,\u201d commented one Nablus resident. While it is regularly accused of corruption and inefficiency, the PA has also been accused of collaboration and co-ordination with Israeli forces to destroy armed Palestinian groups. <\/p>\n

Sitting in his office, Ghassan Daghlas, the governor of Nablus, denied these charges. \u201cOf course not,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The 53-year-old said that they have no capacity to stop Israeli forces from entering the city to conduct regular raids, despite it being officially designated as Area A, meaning it should be under full PA control. <\/p>\n

[\u00a0Teaching Gaza\u2019s children online: \u2018A student said: \u2018I\u2019m wounded in hospital but I want you to send me homework\u2019\u2019Opens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

One Israeli raid, aimed at arresting an injured individual inside a hospital, took place while The Irish Times was there. \u201cIsrael is a very strong country and we have limited weapons,\u201d Daghlas said.<\/p>\n

Daghlas said he opposes armed resistance, as instructed by his leadership: \u201cWe have a leadership, any country in the world has a leadership and the leader, if he decides war then it\u2019s war.\u201d <\/p>\n

He said they have realised that \u201cif you\u2019re going to wage a war without any support you\u2019re going to fail\u201d and so their current commitment is to \u201cpeaceful resistance\u201d. <\/p>\n

He said they do not want what has happened in Gaza to happen in the West Bank too. <\/p>\n

As he spoke, in front of the municipality building, the Palestine Red Crescent Society was carrying out a blood drive for Gaza \u2013 though medics admitted they did not know whether Israeli forces would allow them to let all of the blood enter the besieged enclave.<\/p>\n

\"AA blood drive for Gaza taking place outside the Nablus governorate building. Photograph: Sally Hayden <\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t like violence, but on the other side we want the world to talk about human rights,\u201d said Daghlas. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe United Nations, other international institutions, they should support justice and punish injustice. But what\u2019s going on in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the world is standing with aggression.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe passed the test of patience and the world failed when it comes to democracy and human rights. When they keep silent … they fail the test. When you don\u2019t talk, when you don\u2019t do any act you\u2019re silent and that gives Israel an excuse to move forward with their aggression against us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The wider Nablus governorate has a population of more than half a million people, says Daghlas, who took over his role early last year. He said the area is now \u201cunder a big siege without an excuse\u201d which has \u201cdestroyed our life\u201d.<\/p>\n

This includes students prevented from attending university because of Israeli military checkpoints, which are also strangling the economy, he said. The Irish Times witnessed lengthy queues in front of one checkpoint, at an exit to the city. <\/p>\n

\u201cNablus is the economic capital of Palestine … We talk about factories, institutions. Once you close it under siege then you destroy everything,\u201d said Daghlas.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe wider Nablus governorate has a population of more than half a million people, according to Ghassan Daghlas, governor of Nablus. Photograph: Sally Hayden <\/p>\n

The IDF said any claim that it \u201cintentionally intends to constrict the everyday lives of Palestinians is entirely unfounded\u201d and that its forces \u201coperate under a complex security reality, where terrorists embed themselves within the civilian population and establish their terror infrastructure in towns and villages. Accordingly, there are dynamic checkpoints and ongoing efforts to monitor movement in various areas of the region, in order to maintain the security of the area\u201d. <\/p>\n

It said its military constantly works \u201cto keep crossings open, in order to enable as normal a routine as possible in the area\u201d. <\/p>\n

It also called the accusation that \u201cgenerational genocide\u201d has been committed in the West Bank as \u201cunfounded and entirely baseless\u201d.<\/p>\n

Almost 60 Palestinian villages around the city are under regular attack by settlers, Daghlas said. \u201cWhen you prevent people from going to the hospitals for health services this is also a big problem. And we talk about refugee camps, we talk about unemployment, people with no jobs for almost two years\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

We are not asking for weapons, we don\u2019t want weapons, we don\u2019t want war<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

He said it is important to understand that \u201cthis kind of occupation is a replacement occupation … They brought here [Jewish] people from all over [the world] and they want to kick us out … They are a forceful occupation and they\u2019re looking for excuses to destroy Nablus, like what happened in Jenin and Tulkarem.\u201d <\/p>\n

He said he spent months in Israeli prison in the past, as had his brothers and nephew. One brother was shot in the neck; a nephew had \u201c15 bullets\u201d in his body. \u201cThis is an example of a [Palestinian] family, everybody\u2019s is like this,\u201d Daghlas said.<\/p>\n

He supports legislation \u2013 like Ireland\u2019s proposed Occupied Territories Bill \u2013 which would ban trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The settlements, home to around half a million settlers, are considered illegal under international law.<\/p>\n

\u201cIsraeli settlements are illegal … so anything that comes out of the settlements is illegal,\u201d said Daghlas. \u201cAt the end, this is a humanitarian issue … When you\u2019re punishing Israel, that means humanity wins. We are not asking for weapons, we don\u2019t want weapons, we don\u2019t want war. But we want [Israel] to stop its aggression and war in Gaza and the West Bank and we want the whole world to put pressure on Israel to stop this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Homes marked for demolition\"AnAn Israeli military excavator demolishes a building in the Nur Shams camp last March. Photograph: Zain Jaafar\/AFP <\/p>\n

After the Israeli military pushed Palestinians out of their homes in the northern West Bank earlier this year, they began to destroy them. <\/p>\n

In Jenin refugee camp, at least 169 homes were marked for demolition between March 21st and June 9th \u201cin preparation for new military routes,\u201d according to analysis by Forensic Architecture, a research group based at Goldsmiths, the University of London. <\/p>\n

It said satellite imagery also suggested that \u201cnumerous buildings which did not receive a demolition order were nevertheless destroyed by that time\u201d \u2013 a pattern that also unfolded in Tulkarem. <\/p>\n

In May, more than 100 homes were marked for demolition, spread between Nur Shams and Tulkarem camp.<\/p>\n

\n

[Living in] Nur Shams and every camp was a hard life but not like these days, it\u2019s getting harder.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The Irish Times saw clear destruction while driving beside Tulkarem camp, though locals advised that it was not safe to stop there or to enter, because of the risk of being targeted by Israeli forces. Irish diplomats were among a delegation who were shot at<\/a> near the Jenin camp earlier this year.<\/p>\n

In a statement, the IDF said it was \u201cworking to reshape and stabilise the region\u201d in order \u201cto prevent the return and entrenchment of terrorists\u201d based \u201con the operational needs of forces operating in the field\u201d. <\/p>\n

\"AnAn Israeli army bulldozer digging up a road in the Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarem last year. Photograph: Jaafar Ashtiyeh\/AFP <\/p>\n

\u201cThe decision to demolish the structures was made with careful consideration and based on operational necessity … All of the buildings received demolition orders and the procedure was carried out according to the law.\u201d <\/p>\n

The spokesperson did not respond to a question about whether compensation will be paid.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey restarted the Nakba, they\u2019re killing people, they displaced people,\u201d said Bilal, a resident of Nur Shams camp, who works for Palestinian human rights organisation Al Haq. He asked to be identified by a pseudonym for his own safety.<\/p>\n

Bilal\u2019s two-floor family home has already been demolished by the Israeli military. An Israeli drone loudly buzzed above the other family property he now lives in as he spoke.<\/p>\n

Bilal said the militancy in Nur Shams was mostly \u201cself-defence,\u201d with locals shooting M-16 rifles or throwing stones when raids happened. <\/p>\n

[\u00a0Israel pushes ahead with plans for takeover of Gaza CityOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

\u201cThey kill us. They raid the town, they kill the people without any reason so they do self-defence.\u201d But now, everyone who \u201cdefended\u201d the camp was dead, he said. \u201cThey killed them all, there\u2019s no one left.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bilal spoke about the \u201cnormal life\u201d that Palestinians around him dream of enjoying one day. He suspected the home he now sat in would soon be seized too.<\/p>\n

He felt nostalgic, as well, for their life in Nur Shams before this year. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a happy life, it was beautiful. The people were going to work, the students going to their schools, universities, and the families are happy,\u201d he said. \u201c[The Israelis] were killing people but not like these days … [Living in] Nur Shams and every camp was a hard life but not like these days, it\u2019s getting harder. We hope the war and the raids will stop.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Even from such a distance, the Israeli flag was clearly visible, hanging from a building in what remained…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15091,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[9,10,13,14,6,71,6220,11,12,15,16,5,7,8,1918,65,66,67],"class_list":{"0":"post-15090","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-breaking-news","9":"tag-breakingnews","10":"tag-featured-news","11":"tag-featurednews","12":"tag-headlines","13":"tag-israel","14":"tag-israel-defence-forces","15":"tag-latest-news","16":"tag-latestnews","17":"tag-main-news","18":"tag-mainnews","19":"tag-news","20":"tag-top-stories","21":"tag-topstories","22":"tag-west-bank","23":"tag-world","24":"tag-world-news","25":"tag-worldnews"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15090","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15090"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15090\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15091"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}