UN says 30,000 Palestinians have been forcibly uprooted since January as Israeli forces clear refugee camps and demolish homes under ‘Iron W
UN officials warned on 15 July that Israel’s months-long ‘Iron Wall’ operation in the occupied West Bank has caused the largest displacement of Palestinians since 1967, with 30,000 people forcibly uprooted since January and entire refugee camps emptied under military orders.
UN rights office spokesman Thameen al-Kheetan said the forced uprooting underway may constitute a crime under international law, stressing that “permanently displacing the civilian population within occupied territory amounts to unlawful transfer,” and depending on the circumstances, “could be tantamount to ethnic cleansing.” He said the campaign is “emptying large parts of the West Bank of Palestinians."
The UN said the offensive, launched in January, is impacting several northern refugee camps. Juliette Touma, spokeswoman for UNRWA, described it as “the longest since … the Second Intifada,” and warned it was causing “the largest population displacement of the Palestinians in the West Bank since 1967.”
July 15, 2025.
