Allow Residents of the Northern West Bank to Return to their Homes
- ACRI
- Aug 18
- 4 min read
In January 2025, the army launched a military operation in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank, an operation that was later expanded to additional refugee camps. The operation resulted in extensive destruction of buildings, roads, and infrastructure; the blocking of access routes; and the closure of businesses, institutions providing essential services, as well as pharmacies and medical clinics. Electricity and telephone services were disabled, and damage was done to the water and sewage systems. About 40,000 residents of the refugee camps were displaced from their homes, either due to evacuation orders given by the army or as a result of the extensive destruction, blocked access routes, and mortal danger for those remaining. Only a few thousand were allowed to return to their homes in the Al-Far'ah refugee camp, while the rest were not even permitted to return and retrieve their belongings.
On March 2, 2025, we appealed to the Minister of Defense and the Commander of the Central Command demanding that residents be allowed to return to their homes, to rebuild the buildings and essential infrastructure that were damaged or destroyed during the operation, and to restore the refugee camps to a condition suitable for human habitation. Until then, we demanded that the displaced residents be provided with shelter, access to essential supplies and services including food and water, as well as medical and educational services.
In the appeal, Attorney Reut Shaer, ACRI’s Director of the Department for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, noted that according to international law, the Palestinian residents of the West Bank are protected residents, and the military commander is obligated to protect their rights, which includes access to essential services such as healthcare and education. She argued that the prohibition on the return of displaced residents to their homes and the extended seizure of the camps by the army—even though the camps are empty and there is no active fighting—is sweeping, arbitrary, and disproportionate in its impact on the fundamental rights of tens of thousands of people. The appeal further asserted that the decision to not allow residents to return to their homes was not made for operational considerations but for populist reasons, and that it violates the prohibition against the forced transfer of a civilian population within an occupied territory and the prohibition on collective punishment established in the Geneva Convention.
We sent a similar appeal on April 16, 2025 regarding the residents of the Dairat al-Sir neighborhood in northeast Tulkarm. The neighborhood residents had been required to evacuate even though there was no active fighting in their neighborhood. The neighborhood is not located near any of the areas of military activity in the city, and the evacuation orders were given at a stage when military activity was reduced. About a month after the evacuation, while steps were being taken throughout Tulkarm to restore a sense of normalcy, the neighborhood residents were still prohibited from returning to their homes. Since they were only permitted to take a few personal belongings with them during the evacuation, most remained without basic supplies. In the appeal, attorney Hila Sharon argued that the continued denial of residents' access to their homes and property is contrary to international law and violates their rights.
We sent a third appeal to the Minister of Defense and to the Commander of the Central Command on May 26, 2025. In the appeal, attorney Hila Sharon wrote: "In the time that has passed since our previous appeals, the severe and disproportionate violation of residents' rights and the concern about their forced transfer from their area of residence have only intensified. Despite the cessation of fighting in the refugee camps and northern West Bank cities from which residents were evacuated, only very few, a few hundred individuals, were allowed to return to their homes, while tens of thousands of others continue to live as displaced persons in harsh conditions and under conditions of uncertainty. Additional residents are evacuated hastily and in a manner that endangers them, additional destruction and damage is caused to buildings and property, and the harm to access to essential products and services continues. You are required to take urgent action to remedy the situation, in accordance with your legal obligations."
The army's response on August 12, 2025 claimed that residents of the refugee camps were not evacuated from their homes, but instead chose to leave. It further noted that the existence of a humanitarian problem in the camps due to the activities of the army is "not recognized," that individual requests from residents are addressed to the extent that the army is able, and that residents who wish to get to their property inside the camps can do so in coordination with the army: "Activity in the refugee camps necessarily entails harm to the fabric of life of the Palestinian population and even their property, however, this activity stems from a clear, obvious, and real security need—which we can only hope will pass—and is carried out in accordance with the orders, the law, and case law."
In our response, ACRI stood by its claims and demands. We argued that based on numerous testimonies and affidavits from residents it is clear that they did not choose to leave voluntarily but were forced to evacuate by direct orders from soldiers or were compelled to leave due to the cessation of all services in the camp and the extensive destruction of infrastructure. We referred to reports by aid organizations and the UN and attached affidavits testifying to the economic distress of the evacuees, and the shortages in adequate housing, educational and health services, and even food and water. We demanded that the six residents from the Jenin and Nur al-Shams refugee camps who gave us power of attorney be allowed to return to their homes, as well as the establishment of a system that would allow other residents to return to their homes.
For a full list of appeals and legal correspondence, see here (Heb).
ACRI’s appeal, March 2, 2025 (Heb)
ACRI's appeal, March 22, 2025 (Heb)
ACRI’s appeal regarding the residents of the Dairat al-Sir neighborhood, April 16, 2025 (Heb)
