Probable Arson in the Evacuated Nur a-Shams Refugee Camp in the West Bank
- ACRI
- Jul 10
- 2 min read
On July 10, 2025, ACRI contacted senior officials in the army and the Civil Administration following testimonies about the burning of residential homes of Palestinians who were forcibly evacuated from their homes in the Nur al-Shams refugee camp in the northern West Bank. As part of Operation “Iron Wall” the residents were evacuated at the beginning of 2025, and the area has since been under the complete control of the army. Residents are not permitted to return to their homes except in specific cases and with prior coordination.
The displaced residents of the refugee camp have testified that in the past two weeks there has been an unusual number of residential fires, and at least one case in which a business caught fire. The residential homes are uninhabited and no electrical appliances are being used in them; no one has access to the houses except the soldiers stationed in the camp; no engineering or electrical work was being done in the area where the fires have occurred. These incidents have no reasonable explanation other than arson.
Soldiers who are in the vicinity when the fires break out have not acted to extinguish them, and property owners are not given access. Fire and rescue vehicles are delayed for unreasonable periods of time at the entrance to the refugee camp due to movement restrictions, even after coordination with Israeli army personnel. Meanwhile, there is irreversible damage to the buildings and the property within them. Palestinian residents have also reported looting and property theft from the homes.
In our letter, we requested that there be a thorough and unbiased investigation of the soldiers' responsibility for the fires, and to ensure that the fires and property damage do not recur. Attorneys Hila Sharon and Reut Shaer emphasized in the letter that the deliberate damage and destruction of homes of protected residents in occupied territory is prohibited under international law. They also addressed the international law against evacuating residents from their homes unless there is a military necessity, and, if there is such a necessity, the obligation to enable the return of evacuees as soon as possible.
ACRI's letter, July 10, 2025 (Heb)
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