A new UN report has shed light on the Israeli military operations, which took place in the refugee camps of Nur Shams and Tulkarm (both in Tulkarm) on 17 and 18 January.
According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the Israeli attacks resulted in damage to homes and infrastructure, in addition to the fatalities and injuries already recorded.
At least 21 homes were rendered uninhabitable due to explosions and bulldozing, displacing 137 people, including 46 children, the report said.
Since 7 October 2023 and as of 21 January 2024, 739 Palestinians, including 309 children, have been displaced, following the destruction of 115 homes during other operations carried out by Israeli forces across the West Bank.
During the same reported period, at least 198 Palestinian households comprising 1,208 people, including 586 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from at least 15 herding/Bedouin communities.
479 Palestinians, including 239 children, have also been displaced following the demolition of their homes due to a lack of Israeli-issued building permits in Area C and East Jerusalem, which are almost impossible to obtain.
A total of 19 homes have been demolished, and 95 Palestinians, including 42 children, have been displaced due to punitive demolitions since 7 October.
The numbers exceed those reported in the first nine months of 2023, during which 16 homes were punitively demolished and 78 people displaced.
The UN report provides striking evidence of the serious humanitarian harm and breaches of international humanitarian law caused by the Israeli occupation.
These violations call for stressing that protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure must always come first, that any violations should be looked into and the perpetrators held accountable, and that forced displacement of people—especially children—violates international human rights law and may even qualify as a crime against humanity.
