Terrorist ‘israeli’ Regime’s Military Operations Prompt Largest West Bank Displacement Since 1967: UNRWA Reports

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) issued a statement on Friday, highlighting that the extensive military assaults by Israeli Forces beginning January 21 in the Jenin camp and surrounding northern regions represent the most prolonged offensive in the West Bank since the Second Intifada in the early 2000s.

The aid agency has described the developing situation in the northern West Bank as “extremely concerning,” citing continuous Israeli military actions and arrest operations as the primary factors.

Israeli operations have resulted in widespread destruction, forced displacement, and the issuance of demolition orders impacting Palestinian families and refugee camps, the source noted.

The recent events have sparked the most significant displacement since the 1967 Six-Day War, which saw Israel engage in conflict with a coalition of Arab nations, including Egypt, Syria, and Jordan. This war resulted in Israel’s occupation and annexation of Palestinian territories, a move that has not received international recognition, as noted in reports.

In a joint report released on Friday, the Israeli human rights organization Yesh Din, in collaboration with Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI), cautioned that Israel is engaged in the forced relocation of Palestinians within the occupied West Bank, with a particular focus on shepherding communities situated northeast of Ramallah.

The report, “Displaced Communities, Forgotten People,” reveals that over 1,000 Palestinians have been forcibly uprooted from their homes in the region since January 2023.

The report underscored that Israel is accountable for the war crime of forcibly transferring Palestinians from the West Bank.

The statement highlighted a pattern of systematic actions and their recurrence in various locations, leading to the serious conclusion that, in certain parts of the West Bank, Israel is engaging in practices that constitute ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.

Israel has detained more than 100 Palestinians in the West Bank over the past week, according to local sources. The arrests occurred amid heightened tensions in the region, raising concerns from international observers. Israeli authorities have yet to comment on the developments, while Palestinian officials have criticized the actions as exacerbating existing conflicts.

The Palestinian Prisoners Society reported on Friday that Israeli forces apprehended over 100 Palestinians, including women, children, and former detainees, in various locations throughout the occupied West Bank during the past week.

Reports indicate that Israeli forces have intensified their campaign of detentions across multiple areas within the West Bank.

Recent reports indicate an increased focus on the Masafer Yatta, al-Fawwar, and Dheisheh refugee camps located in the southern region of the territory. Meanwhile, persistent operations continue in the northern governorates of Jenin and Tulkarm, ongoing since late January.

The rights group has reported that numerous arrests were made in connection with field interrogations, assaults, and threats directed at civilians and their families. The report also outlines extensive infrastructure damage, the demolition of homes, the taking of hostages, and the transformation of civilian residences into military outposts.

Reports indicate that since the escalation of conflict in Gaza, authorities have detained over 15,800 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Additionally, many Palestinian workers and thousands of individuals from Gaza have also been taken into custody.

The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) has described recent detentions as retaliatory in nature, characterizing them as a form of collective punishment. The organization further noted that arrests persist as “one of Israel’s most consistent and systematic policies,” both concerning the frequency and the severity of related violations.

On January 21, the Israeli military launched an offensive in the occupied West Bank, declaring its aim was to strike at resistance fighters associated with the Jenin Battalion.

Since the onset of the Gaza conflict in October 2023, operations carried out by the Israeli military and settlers in defiance of international law have resulted in the fatalities of more than 944 Palestinians. Moreover, over 7,000 people have been reported injured in the West Bank.

In July, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a ruling stating that Israel’s prolonged occupation of Palestinian territories is unlawful. The ICJ called for the removal of all settlements in both the West Bank and East al-Quds.