The Israeli army’s large-scale offensive against the occupied West Bank city of Jenin and its refugee camp is entering its 77th consecutive day, marked by widespread destruction, including the bulldozing, burning, and seizure of homes.
Meanwhile, the assault continues in the Tulkarm refugee camp for the 71st day, and in the adjacent Nur Shams refugee camp for 58 days, with ongoing military reinforcements.
The destruction of infrastructure, including the bulldozing and digging up of streets and the demolition of homes, is a consistent feature of the Israeli attacks across these camps and surrounding areas.
Over 40,000 Palestinians have been displaced by Israeli forces, now living in difficult conditions in shelters or with relatives.
Aid has been severely reduced, and there is no official body to address their needs.
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Jenin camp, in particular, has been heavily impacted, with the Israeli army announcing plans to dismantle the camp’s structure entirely.
Mayor Muhammad Jarrar told Middle East Eye that the camp has become uninhabitable due to continuous demolitions, bombings, and the construction of roads designed to divide the camp into sectors for easier military incursions.
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The number of displaced people from Jenin and its surroundings has exceeded 21,000, and conditions are worsening due to the depletion of donor aid.
“An agreement was made with World Kitchen to provide 6,000 daily meals to the displaced, which we distributed, but we were recently informed that this project has been halted due to a lack of donors,” Jarrar explained.
The camp’s infrastructure and services have been completely destroyed, with widespread damage to hundreds of housing units.
Few homes remain undamaged, and much of the destruction has been indiscriminate.
In Jenin’s neighbourhoods, 60 percent of the infrastructure has been destroyed, and the eastern part of the city has been entirely levelled.
Several neighbourhoods, including Wadi Burqin, al-Hadaf, al-Zahraa, al-Jabariyat, Khallet al-Suha, al-Mahatta, and al-Ghobaz, have also been heavily affected.
“I believe that returning to life in the camp, if Israel withdraws, will be nearly impossible unless it is fully rebuilt,” Jarrar said.
‘We wait every day for aid’
Forced displacement of Palestinians has continued since the onset of the military operation, with recent forced evacuations in the al-Zahraa neighbourhood.
“We initially treated the situation as an emergency, but it has now become permanent,” said Jarra.
“The prolonged military operation has depleted resources, including donor support, for the displaced. We are concerned about the future, as no one is funding shelter allowances, and most of the displaced are now facing eviction from the centres,” he added.
Ahmed al-Sharif, displaced from his home in the camp since the start of the assault, now lives with his wife and two children at the al-Kafif Centre for the Blind, which has been converted into a shelter for the displaced.
He explained that the conditions for those displaced from the camp are difficult, with an uncertain future ahead.
‘In a matter of moments, we were displaced, banished, and our homes demolished’
– Ahmed al-Sharif, displaced Palestinian
They do not know when they will return to the camp, what has happened to their homes, or how they will rebuild their lives.
“We wait every day for aid that may arrive, but often doesn’t. Most of the aid is for children and women. We are forced to wear second-hand clothes because we couldn’t take our belongings with us,” he told MEE.
Al-Sharif still doesn’t know what happened to his home, as he has been unable to return since being displaced. Some reports he received suggest it was demolished, but this has yet to be confirmed.
In light of Israeli statements about changing the structure and shape of the camp, al-Sharif struggles to imagine what his life will be like or where he will live. The camp is his home, his environment, and where he spent most of his life.
“I was born, raised, married, and had my children in the camp. In a matter of moments, we were displaced, banished, and our homes demolished,” he said.
‘We feel helpless’
The Tulkarm camps are no better off.
The military operation has completely emptied the camps of their residents, turning the neighbouring towns into reception centres for the displaced.
Tulkarm Mayor Riyad Awad told MEE that the Israeli army is not allowing residents to return to check on their homes or retrieve their belongings.
“There is complete destruction of the infrastructure and streets, making it almost impossible to walk. Our crews are completely unable to work inside the camps,” he explained.
The destruction of infrastructure has extended beyond the city of Tulkarm to its surrounding camps. Even remote areas have had their streets bulldozed, and the water line supplying the entire Iktaba suburb has been severed.
‘The house is still standing, but it has been raided six times, and its contents stolen by Israeli soldiers’
– Ismail Balawi, displaced Palestinian
The number of displaced people from Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps and their surroundings has exceeded 20,000, many of whom are living in harsh conditions in shelters.
“Life throughout Tulkarm has been severely impacted and brought to a standstill due to this aggression,” Adwa said.
“Schools and government institutions are completely closed, and the economic situation is extremely difficult because of the constant presence of the Israeli army in the city and the military barriers surrounding it,” he added.
Ismail Balawi, who used to live in the Nasr neighbourhood near Nur Shams camp, was forced to flee despite his home being outside the camp.
His brothers were forced to rent homes or stay with relatives, while he, his wife, and children have been displaced to his in-law’s home since mid-February.
“The house is still standing, but it has been raided six times, and its contents stolen by Israeli soldiers. Anything of value was taken,” Balawi said.
His brother’s supermarket in the area has also been looted by the Israeli army, which has a military base just metres away, leaving the doors of the supermarket and other homes open at all times.
To date, no one has contacted Balawi regarding aid, despite him bearing the burden of displacement for nearly two months.
“When we hear about what is happening in and around the camp, we feel helpless and oppressed,” he told MEE.
“We’re unable to return to our homes, with no clear idea of when our lives will return to normal.”
