RAMALLAH, February 27, 2025 (WAFA) – The Palestinian Government Communication Center issued a factsheet today on the ongoing Israeli aggression on the northern West Bank districts of Jenin and Tulkarm.

For over a month, Israeli occupation forces have been conducting a military aggression on multiple areas of the northern West Bank, primarily targeting the cities and refugee camps of Jenin and Tulkarm. The aggression has resulted in significant casualties, mass displacement, and extensive destruction of infrastructure. Additionally, mass detentions continue across the West Bank, with thousands of Palestinians held under administrative detention without charge or trial.

More than a month into Israel’s relentless military assault on the northern West Bank, the humanitarian crisis continues to deepen. The Israeli occupation aggression has forcibly displaced over 40,000 Palestinians so far, leaving behind widespread destruction in occupied northern West Bank cities and refugee camps.

Last Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu appeared in a military vest from Tulkarm Refugee Camp, threatening further escalation in the West Bank. His visit—staged in a Palestinian house whose residents had been forcibly displaced—symbolized the unprecedented targeting of refugee camps in the northern West Bank. Hours earlier, Israeli 'Defense' Minister Israel Katz was also photographed in the same camp, issuing similar threats of intensified attacks.

In a grave escalation of Israel’s forced displacement policy, Katz announced on Sunday that 40,000 Palestinians have been uprooted from the Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams refugee camps due to Israel’s military operations. The aggression has expanded to include the town of Qabatiya, south of Jenin, alongside the deployment of additional armored units—raising fears of further killings, mass displacement, and destruction. At the same time, the suspension of UNRWA’s humanitarian operations in these camps has exacerbated the crisis, leaving thousands of displaced families without essential aid, healthcare, and education.

Signaling an intent to impose a new reality on the ground, Katz instructed Israeli occupying forces not to allow displaced Palestinians to return to the camps. He also declared that Israeli occupation forces would maintain an extended presence in Tulkarm and Jenin—with threats of further attacks on additional occupied West Bank governorates.

Israel, the occupying Power, launched its military onslaught on the northern West Bank on January 21, 2025, beginning with Jenin and its refugee camp before expanding a week later to Tulkarm and its two camps (Tulkarm and Nur Shams). The aggression later spread to Tubas governorate, including the town of Tammun and the Al-Far’a refugee camp. While Israeli occupation forces withdrew from Tammun after a week and from Al-Far’a after ten days, their attacks on Jenin, Tulkarm, and surrounding refugee camps remain ongoing.

Recent developments suggest an increasingly dire situation, as Israel’s prolonged military assault—now the longest in the West Bank since the Second Intifada over two decades ago—targets refugee camps with unprecedented intensity. This raises fears of even darker scenarios in the coming period.

The Israeli military’s systematic destruction and demographic engineering of refugee camps represent an alarming attempt to liquidate and erase the Palestinian refugee issue. This attack on the camps coincides with Israel’s targeting of UNRWA, including its decision to ban the agency’s operations in Jerusalem at the start of this year—part of a wider effort to obstruct UNRWA’s humanitarian work in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Key Facts

Israeli Aggression on Jenin:

• Duration: 38 consecutive and ongoing days of brutal military aggression.
• Location: Jenin city and Jenin refugee camp.
• Casualties: At least 27 Palestinians killed, with several others injured.
• Economic Impact: Losses estimated at 20 million shekels per day, worsened by the continued closure of the Jalameh military checkpoint.
• Education Disruption: 6,000 students from the Arab American University unable to reach their institution.
• Infrastructure Damage: Destruction of roads, excavation of land, and demolition of entire neighborhoods.
• Forced Displacement: Palestinians forcibly removed from their homes, with Israeli occupation forces taking measurements for more planned demolitions.
• Press Censorship: Local and international press crews prevented from entering the camp.
• UNRWA Statement: The West Bank has become a "battlefield," with at least 50 Palestinian civilians killed in five weeks.

Jenin Municipality:

• We rejected an Israeli direct request to turn the Jenin Refugee Camp into a neighborhood of the city to receive services from the municipality.
• At least 20,000 displaced people are enduring worsening humanitarian conditions, with their suffering escalating daily.
• After three months of halted economic activity and widespread job losses in Jenin, new groups of impoverished and unemployed individuals are emerging.
• Half of the city's population, along with all camp residents, now require direct humanitarian aid to meet their basic needs.

While the Government and charitable organizations are making relief efforts, they remain insufficient to address the growing crisis and meet the mounting needs.

Israeli Aggression on Tulkarm:

• Duration: 32 days of brutal military aggression on Tulkarm city and refugee camp; 19 days on Nour Shams refugee camp.
• Location: Tulkarm city, Tulkarm refugee camp, and Nour Shams refugee camp.
• Casualties: Ongoing reports of injuries and civilian suffering.
• Home Raids & Seizures: Residential buildings turned into military outposts, with snipers deployed.
• Forced Displacement: Around 12,000 Palestinians displaced from Tulkarm camp, and 5,000 from Nour Shams camp.
• Infrastructure Destruction: Widespread destruction of infrastructure and property, affecting electricity, water, sewage, and communication networks.
• Home Demolition Notices: Israeli occupation forces notified Palestinian families of 11 planned home demolitions in Nour Shams camp.
• Blockade: The Israeli occupation continues to block access to and from the camps, preventing relief efforts.

Impact & Implications

• Humanitarian Crisis: Widespread displacement, restricted access to essential services, and severe damage to infrastructure.
• Educational Disruption: Thousands of students face uncertainty, with universities and schools inaccessible.
• Freedom of Movement: Israeli Military checkpoints and sieges prevent Palestinians from accessing food, water, healthcare, education, work places and safe shelter.
• Press Freedom Concerns: Restricting journalists from covering and reporting raises concerns about grave violations being carried out.