Israeli bulldozers raze 25 buildings in Nur Shams refugee camp, displacing 100 families as part of a military operation against armed groups.
NUR SHAMS: Israeli bulldozers began demolishing 25 buildings housing Palestinians in the Nur Shams refugee camp on Wednesday.
The military stated the action was part of an operation to root out armed groups in the northern occupied West Bank.
An AFP journalist reported the structures were torn down early in the morning, sending thick plumes of dust into the air. The buildings were home to approximately 100 families, with many residents watching the destruction from a distance.
“Being torn away from our homes, our neighbourhoods and our memories is deeply painful,” said Mutaz Mahr, whose building was being demolished.
He told AFP that “the occupation tries by every means to wear us down and pressure us.”
Nihaya al-Jendi, a member of the camp’s popular committee, said hundreds of families had been forced out even before a major military operation began earlier this year.
“Today, more than 1,500 families from the camp are still unable to return,” Jendi said.
She described the situation as “a major catastrophe — a real humanitarian disaster for Palestinian refugees — unfolding before the eyes of the world.”
In a statement, the Israeli military said the demolitions followed “ongoing counterterrorism activity” in the area.
The commander of the Central Command ordered the demolition “due to a clear and necessary operational need,” the statement added.
It claimed that “areas in northern Samaria have become a significant centre of terrorist activity, operating from within densely populated civilian areas.”
The military launched an operation earlier this year aimed at dismantling Palestinian armed groups in camps including Nur Shams, Tulkarem and Jenin.
It stated that forces continue to locate ammunition, weapons, and explosive devices that “endanger IDF soldiers and impair operational freedom of action.”
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz claimed operations in these camps had reduced terrorist activity by 80%.
He said troops would remain as a “clear buffer between the (Israeli) population and terrorist element” to prevent regrouping and thwart attacks.
The demolitions are part of a broader Israeli strategy to ease military access within the densely built refugee camps of the West Bank.
Nur Shams was established after the creation of Israel in 1948, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were displaced.
These camps have since become dense neighbourhoods, with residents passing on their refugee status through generations.
Many residents believe Israel aims to destroy the camps themselves to eliminate the refugee issue by turning them into regular city neighbourhoods.
