Israeli Forces Demolish Palestinian Homes in Nur Shams Refugee Camp Amid Ongoing West Bank Incursion

Demolitions Commence in Nur Shams Camp

On Wednesday, December 31, 2025, Israeli military bulldozers initiated the demolition of 25 Palestinian residential buildings within the Nur Shams refugee camp, located near Tulkarem in the northern West Bank. The operation has reportedly displaced approximately 100 families, impacting hundreds of residents who watched as their homes were destroyed.

This latest wave of demolitions follows earlier orders issued on December 14, 2025, for the same 25 buildings, affecting about 70 households. An appeal against these orders by the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel (Adalah) was rejected by the Israeli Supreme Court, which based its decision on classified materials not disclosed to the petitioners.

Israeli Military Cites Counterterrorism Operations

The Israeli military stated that the demolitions are part of an ongoing 'counterterrorism operation' in northern Samaria, aimed at 'rooting out terror groups' and 'armed groups'. Major General Avi Bluth, commander of the Central Command, reportedly ordered the demolition of these structures due to a 'clear and necessary operational need'. The military asserted that 'areas in northern Samaria have become a significant center of terrorist activity, operating from within densely populated civilian areas'.

These actions are also described as part of a broader Israeli strategy to facilitate access for military vehicles within the densely constructed refugee camps of the West Bank. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz claimed that operations in Nur Shams, Tulkarem, and Jenin have been 'effective', reducing what he described as terrorist activity by 80 percent.

Humanitarian Impact and Condemnation

The demolitions have led to significant displacement, with many residents reporting they have nowhere to go. Mutaz Mahr, a resident whose building was demolished, expressed profound distress, stating, 'Being torn away from our homes, our neighborhoods and our memories is deeply painful.' He also drew a parallel to the 1948 Nakba, noting, 'The first time our grandparents were displaced, and this is the second time.'

Nihaya al-Jendi, a member of Nur Shams's popular committee, reported that over 1,500 families from the camp remain unable to return, describing the situation as a 'major catastrophe' and a 'real humanitarian disaster'. The Tulkarem Governorate condemned the mass demolitions as a 'dangerous escalation', characterizing them as collective punishment and a violation of international law and human rights conventions. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry echoed this condemnation, viewing the actions as part of a systematic policy to empty refugee camps and undermine the Palestinian cause.

Broader Context of West Bank Operations

The current demolitions are part of a larger military campaign, 'Operation Iron Wall', launched in early 2025, which has significantly impacted refugee camps across the northern West Bank, including Jenin and Tulkarem. This operation has resulted in the largest displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank since the 1967 war, with tens of thousands forced from their homes. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), satellite imagery from May 2025 indicated that 35 percent of structures in Nur Shams Camp had already been damaged or destroyed. The Director of UNRWA Affairs for the occupied West Bank, Roland Friedrich, stated that these demolitions fit a pattern of destroying homes for long-term control and permanently altering the topography of the camps.