UNRWA: 32,000 Palestinians are still displaced from camps in northern West Bank.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) announced on Thursday that 32,000 people are still displaced from camps in northern occupied West Bank due to ongoing Israeli military operations since the beginning of this year.

This was stated in a press release on Thursday by UNRWA's Director of Operations in the occupied West Bank, Roland Frederick. Frederick said that 32,000 residents of the camps in northern West Bank are still forcibly displaced, adding that the Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams camps have been completely emptied due to Israeli military operations since January 21.

He indicated that the residents of the three camps remain forcibly displaced after these camps have turned into "ghost towns," despite having been "vibrant with life previously." He explained that the Israeli army has continued in recent days to issue new demolition orders under the pretext of "military purposes," noting that the latest of these orders includes the total demolition of 12 buildings in the Jenin camp and partial demolition of 11 other buildings, set to begin on Friday.

Frederick pointed out that March and June of last year witnessed collective demolition orders affecting more than 190 buildings in the Jenin camp, in addition to the destruction of 20 other buildings through controlled explosions in February.

He affirmed that this "systematic destruction contradicts the fundamental principles of international law" and only serves to "enhance the long-term control of the occupying army over the camps."

The UN official emphasized that these areas "need rebuilding, not further destruction," and that "their residents must be allowed to return to their homes and restore their lives."

He clarified that the Israeli army began a wide-scale military operation on January 21, which started from the Jenin camp and then expanded to include the Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps.

These developments come amid a continuous Israeli escalation in the West Bank for more than two years, characterized by incursions, arrests, and assassinations, coinciding with the genocide that began in the Gaza Strip on October 8, 2023, and has continued for two years.

According to official Palestinian data, Israeli assaults in the West Bank by the army and settlers have resulted in the deaths of more than 1,083 Palestinians, injuries to about 11,000, and the arrest of more than 20,500 individuals since the escalation began.