Human Rights Watch (HRW) has argued that Israel’s forcible removal of tens of thousands of Palestinians from refugee camps in the occupied West Bank earlier this year amounted to a war crime and crimes against humanity.
A 105-page report released by the nonprofit group said 32,000 Palestinians were expelled from three camps by Israeli forces in January and February and not allowed to return, as Israel’s war in Gaza drew international attention.
As part of its investigation, HRW said it interviewed 31 Palestinian refugees who had fled camps in Jenin, Tulkarem and Noor Shams. The organization also analyzed satellite images, Israeli military destruction orders, and verified videos and images of Israeli military operations.
In response to the report, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told CNN in a statement that the military launched what it called “Operation Ironclad” in the three camps 10 months ago “in view of the security threat posed by these camps and the growing presence of terrorist elements within the camps.”
The IDF said it had destroyed “rows of buildings” to create “new access routes within the camp.” The military said the decision to demolish the building was “carefully considered based on operational necessity and was made only after consideration of alternative options to achieve similar military advantages.”
“The bombings were carried out lawfully based on military necessity and with the necessary proportionality,” the Israel Defense Forces said, using a Biblical term referring to the West Bank, adding that “terrorism in Judea and Samaria has decreased by 70 percent” since the operation began.
According to the HRW report, Israel used Apache helicopters, drones, bulldozers and armored vehicles carrying ground troops to raid the Jenin refugee camp on January 21 and drive out the Palestinians living there.
Similar operations were carried out in Tulkaram on January 27 and in Nur Shams on February 9.
Israeli soldiers were “screaming and throwing things everywhere… It was like a scene from a movie. Some were wearing masks and they had all kinds of weapons,” one 54-year-old woman told HRW.
Displaced Palestinians were not allowed to return home, the report said, adding that Israeli soldiers opened fire on those who tried to re-enter the country. According to the report, only a few people were allowed to retrieve their belongings, but HRW’s analysis of satellite imagery six months later found that more than 850 homes and other buildings were damaged or destroyed across the camps.
According to the report, the Israeli military did not provide shelter or humanitarian assistance to the displaced persons. Instead, people were left to fend for themselves, seeking shelter wherever possible, including crowding into the homes of relatives and friends, or arriving at mosques and local charities.
All three camps date back to the early 1950s and were established by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to house Palestinians who were uprooted or displaced after the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. These refugees and their descendants have lived there ever since.
“Israeli authorities forcibly removed 32,000 Palestinians from their homes in West Bank refugee camps in early 2025, disregarding international legal protections, and are not allowing them to return,” said Nadia Hardman, HRW’s senior researcher on migrant rights.
“While the world’s attention is focused on Gaza, Israeli forces are committing war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, which must be investigated and prosecuted.”
Since the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, Israeli forces have stepped up operations across the West Bank, targeting Palestinian militant cells, setting up checkpoints and cutting off communities from the outside world.
Attacks and land grabbing by Israeli settlers have also intensified within the territory. Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law.
HRW is currently calling for senior Israeli officials to be investigated over the expulsions, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and Major General Avi Brus, the Central Command commander who oversaw military operations in the West Bank.
If found responsible, they should be prosecuted for war crimes and crimes against humanity, the group said.
