Israeli troops clear another refugee camp on the West Bank, displacing thousands
On Monday, March 3, 2025, Israeli forces began demolishing houses and clearing a large roadway through the Nur Shams refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. This move is part of a larger operation that has been ongoing for weeks, targeting militant groups and resulting in the displacement of tens of thousands of Palestinians.
The operation, which is happening during a fragile ceasefire in Gaza that has held for the past six weeks, has emptied several of the largest refugee camps in the northern West Bank. Many Palestinians fear that this could be a trial run for even broader clearances in the future.
Nur Shams, located outside the city of Tulkarm, is the latest camp to see its residents forced out, following similar actions in the city of Jenin to the east and another camp within Tulkarm. Bulldozers have been seen clearing a wide roadway through the camp, where houses once stood, allowing military vehicles to pass as part of one of the Israeli military’s largest operations in years.
Nihad al-Shawish, head of the Nur Shams camp services committee, reported that nearly all of the camp’s population of around 13,000 has been displaced. “There were about 3,000 people left in the camp, and as of today, they have all left. There are still some people just outside on the outskirts, but there is no one left in the camp,” he said.
The Israeli military has stated that the operation’s goal is to remove fighters from Iranian-backed militant groups, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which have reportedly established strongholds in the northern West Bank refugee camps.
