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Photo:
Scene in Tulkarem. Published by IMEMC News
Graphic, 12/15/2025. Published by IMEMC News
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by IMEMC News
Dec 16, 2025

Israeli occupation forces have issued new military orders to demolish 25 residential buildings in the Nur Shams refugee camp, east of Tulkarem in the northwestern occupied West Bank, intensifying a campaign of forced displacement that has already left thousands of Palestinians homeless.

The targeted buildings—located in the al‑Maslakh and al‑Manshiyya areas—each contained between two and four homes and sheltered at least 300 residents. The demolitions come amid ongoing military invasions, home invasions, and live fire in and around the camp.

The occupation army has already destroyed nearly 1,000 housing units in Nur Shams since the start of its offensive, with hundreds more partially damaged. As a result, 1,907 displaced families have been forced to live in rented apartments for more than eleven months, facing steep living costs and the absence of basic necessities.

The latest demolition orders were issued with limited coordination, allowing some residents to retrieve personal belongings before the bulldozers arrived.

The military also continues to pave new roads inside the camp, a tactic widely seen as an effort to prevent the return of displaced residents and to facilitate future incursions.

These infrastructure changes, coupled with the destruction of residential zones, reflect a broader strategy of spatial control and demographic engineering in refugee camps across the occupied West Bank.

Nur Shams, established in 1952 to house Palestinians displaced during the Nakba, has long been a site of resistance and collective memory. The refugee camp’s population—already living under harsh conditions—has faced intensified military pressure since October 2023, when Israel launched a series of large‑scale invasions into northern West Bank cities and refugee camps.

These violations have included live fire, drone strikes, mass abductions, and systematic home demolitions, particularly targeting Nur Shams, Jenin, and Balata.

Under international law, the destruction of civilian property in occupied territory is prohibited unless absolutely necessary for military operations.

Human rights organizations have repeatedly condemned Israel’s actions in Nur Shams as collective punishment and a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which protects civilians under occupation.

The ongoing demolitions, displacement, and denial of return rights further compound the humanitarian crisis facing Palestinian refugees.

As bulldozers return to Nur Shams, families brace for another wave of loss—of homes, memories, and community.

The camp, once a refuge, is being systematically dismantled under military orders, leaving thousands in limbo and deepening the legacy of displacement that began more than seven decades ago.