UN report warns of 'ethnic cleansing' in West Bank refugee camps

Forced displacement findings

The UN Human Rights Office said in a report published Friday that Israeli forces forcibly displaced the entire Palestinian populations of three occupied West Bank refugee camps during Operation Iron Wall in early 2025, destroying homes and cutting essential services while raising serious concerns of ethnic cleansing and forcible transfer. The operation targeted Jenin, Nur Shams and Tulkarm camps between January and February, killing 102 Palestinians including 21 children and displacing more than 33,000 people — 33,362 of whom remained unable to return as of July, according to UNRWA.

Systematic destruction

Israeli forces destroyed or damaged 52% of structures in Jenin camp, 48% in Nur Shams and 36% in Tulkarm by October 2025, rendering the areas uninhabitable through systematic infrastructure destruction and humanitarian access restrictions. Displaced Palestinians told UN investigators that Israeli officers declared there would be "no more refugee camps" and that residents should "all go to Jordan," the report said.

Alleged aims of expulsion

UN rights chief Volker Turk said in the report: "The way Operation Iron Wall has been conducted suggests its aim was to expel as many Palestinians as possible and to make way for more illegal Israeli settlements, in further violation of international law." The office warned that the large-scale, long-term displacement appears to amount to collective punishment and raises concerns of ethnic cleansing, noting that Israel's defense minister ordered the army to remain in the camps on February 23, 2025, formally barring residents from returning.