Human Rights Watch Alleges Forcible Expulsion of 32,000 Palestinians from West Bank Camps, Calls for War Crimes Probes

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has released a report alleging that Israeli forces forcibly expelled roughly 32,000 Palestinians from three refugee camps in the northern West Bank during military operations in January and February. The rights group says the scale of the displacement could amount to the largest forced movement of people in the territory since 1967 and urges investigations into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity.

HRW recommends that senior Israeli civilian and military leaders — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz — be investigated and prosecuted if evidence supports responsibility. The group also named Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, the West Bank commander, and Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the Israeli military chief, as figures who should be examined and suggested sanctions if culpability is established.

The military operations, described by Israeli authorities as "Operation Iron Wall," took place in January and February in refugee camps around Tulkarem, Nur Shams and Jenin. Israeli officials say the raids targeted militants and militant infrastructure, and the military has asserted — without providing evidence in the HRW report — that militant attacks in the West Bank have declined since the operations began.

HRW says the expulsion of camp residents was wholesale and unjustified. According to the report, authorities did not explain why removing entire camp populations was necessary to achieve stated military objectives, nor have they provided clear reasons for preventing residents from returning. The organization also alleges that troops fired on residents attempting to reenter camps and did not provide adequate shelter or humanitarian assistance to those displaced.

"With global attention focused on Gaza, Israeli forces have carried out war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing in the West Bank that should be investigated and prosecuted," said Nadia Hardman, senior refugee and migrant rights researcher at Human Rights Watch.

HRW based its analysis on interviews with 31 displaced Palestinians from the three camps and on satellite imagery that the group says shows more than 850 homes and other buildings destroyed or heavily damaged. The Israeli military has said some damage targeted militant infrastructure and that demolition was sometimes carried out to open access routes for troops.

The refugee camps, densely populated and often compared to urban slums, trace their origins to the 1948 conflict around the creation of Israel. Many of the displaced and their families are descendants of Palestinians who fled or were expelled in that war, an event Palestinians refer to as the Nakba, or "catastrophe."

Thousands of displaced residents are currently staying with relatives, renting crowded apartments, or sheltering in public buildings while it remains unclear when — or if — they will be allowed to return to their homes. HRW is urging international investigations, accountability measures, and consideration of sanctions if inquiries substantiate the allegations.