The Israeli army announced in a statement on Wednesday that it has launched a large-scale military operation in the northern occupied West Bank.
“The army, the Shin Bet (internal security service), and the Border Police have begun a large-scale counter-terrorism operation in northern Samaria region (West Bank),” the statement explained.
Israeli security officials asserted that they “will not allow terrorism to take root in the region” and that they are “acting proactively to thwart it.”
The Israeli army stated that this is a “new operation” and not part of the “counter-terrorism” operation it launched in January 2015.
At the beginning of 2025, the Israeli army launched “Operation Iron Wall,” targeting refugee camps in the northern West Bank.
This operation resulted in the deaths of dozens of Palestinians and the displacement of tens of thousands of residents from three camps in Tulkarm and Jenin.
‘Crimes against humanity’
The Human Rights Watch said in a report that the forced displacement carried out by the Israeli government against the residents of three refugee camps in the West Bank in January and February 2025 are crimes against humanity.
According to the report, released last Thursday, the 32,000 people reportedly displaced have not been allowed to return to their homes, many of which were deliberately demolished by Israeli forces.
The 105-page report, titled “All My Dreams Are Lost: Israel’s Forced Displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank,” details Israel’s targeting of the Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams refugee camps during Operation Iron Wall.
The operation began on January 21, 2025, days after a temporary ceasefire was declared in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli forces issued sudden orders for civilians to leave their homes, using methods including loudspeakers mounted on vehicles.
Eyewitnesses reported that soldiers systematically moved through the camps, raided homes, looted property, interrogated residents, and ultimately forced all families to leave.
