Amman, Sept. 4 (Petra)-- The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Friday accused Israel of forcibly displacing more than 33,000 Palestinians from three refugee camps in the occupied West Bank in 2025, warning that the situation raises concerns over the possible commission of crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing.

In a new report, the Office concluded that Israeli security forces forcibly displaced the entire populations of three West Bank refugee camps during January and February 2025 as part of the "Iron Wall" operation, and have continued to prevent residents from returning, "in violation of international law," according to a statement cited by international news agencies.

The report refers to the Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps, saying that the "large-scale, prolonged and systematic displacement" of more than 33,000 Palestinians raises serious concerns over the possible commission of the crime against humanity of forcible transfer.

The UN rights office said that the use of airstrikes, armored bulldozers and systematic demolition operations to render entire camps uninhabitable, force residents to flee and prevent their return, in the absence of an overriding military necessity, is prohibited under international law.

It added that such actions "appear to constitute a form of collective punishment" and raise concerns over the possibility of ethnic cleansing.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said in the statement that the manner in which the "Iron Wall" operation was carried out suggests that its objective was to displace as many Palestinians as possible and make way for further illegal Israeli settlements, in violation of international law.

On February 23, 2025, Israel announced that its military had evacuated residents from the three camps in the northern West Bank and that soldiers had been instructed to prevent them from returning to their homes.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement at the time that around 40,000 Palestinians had already been evacuated from the refugee camps in Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams, adding that the camps had become empty of residents.

The three camps are among 19 Palestinian refugee camps in the West Bank administered by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), according to the UN Human Rights Office.

//Petra// MF