HRW Says Mass West Bank Expulsions Amount to War Crimes, Urges Global Action

HRW Says Mass West Bank Expulsions Amount to War Crimes, Urges Global Action
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Israel’s expulsion of tens of thousands of Palestinians from three West Bank refugee camps in early 2025 constitutes war crimes and crimes against humanity, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Thursday, a development reported by Reuters. In a 105-page report titled “All My Dreams Have Been Erased,” the rights group said nearly 32,000 residents of the Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps were forcibly removed during “Operation Iron Wall” in January and February, and have since been barred from returning. HRW said hundreds of homes were destroyed during the operation.

HRW researcher Melina Ansari told Reuters that none of the displaced families have been allowed back ten months after the events. The Israeli military, responding to Reuters, said demolitions were carried out to prevent militants from using civilian infrastructure but provided no timeframe for residents’ return.

The report documents soldiers entering homes, ordering families out via loudspeakers—including those mounted on drones—and bulldozing buildings as residents fled. According to HRW, Israeli forces offered no shelter or humanitarian support, leaving families to seek refuge in mosques, schools, charities, or with relatives.

Displaced residents described severe shortages of food, medicine and basic supplies. HRW said it interviewed 31 displaced people, reviewed satellite imagery and demolition orders, and verified video evidence. It found more than 850 structures destroyed or severely damaged, while a separate UN assessment put the figure at 1,460. The camps, established in the 1950s for Palestinians displaced during the 1948 war, had housed multiple generations.

The rights group said Israeli officials justified the operation as targeting “terrorist elements” but provided no explanation for the mass expulsions or ongoing ban on return. HRW argued that the actions form part of broader crimes against humanity, including apartheid and persecution.

The report comes amid a surge in West Bank violence since the October 2023, with nearly 1,000 Palestinians killed, rising settlement expansion, increased detention without trial, and record levels of settler attacks, according to UN data. HRW urged governments to impose targeted sanctions, suspend arms sales, restrict settlement goods and uphold International Criminal Court warrants.