Israeli army bulldozers have destroyed large parts of two refugee camps in the West Bank city of Tulkarem, leaving thousands of Palestinians displaced and fearful for their future. The military says the operation targets armed militants, but residents believe it is erasing their identity and claims as refugees.
The army gave residents just a few hours to collect their belongings before demolishing homes and carving wide roads through the camps. According to the Israeli military, the clearance is part of “Operation Iron Wall,” aimed at creating easier access for future operations and cracking down on resistance strongholds.
Many locals, like 62-year-old Abd al-Rahman Ajaj, returned to find their homes in rubble. Born in the camp after his parents fled from the city of Netanya in 1948, Ajaj says he never imagined such widespread destruction. “We came back and found our house demolished. No one told us anything,” he said.
The demolition of over 100 more buildings is expected in the coming days. The UN reports that around 40,000 people have already been displaced since the raids began earlier this year, starting with Jenin and expanding to other cities including Tulkarem.
Residents now fear these demolitions are part of a larger plan to dissolve the camps entirely and remove their legal status as refugees. They worry that without the camps, their right to return to their ancestral lands — a core demand in the Palestinian struggle — may be lost forever.
Moreover, many Palestinians see this as an attempt to normalize their displacement. With far-right voices in Israel pushing for annexation of the West Bank, refugees believe the destruction of their homes is a move to “eliminate the refugee issue” by erasing physical and legal traces of their history.