Mon Dec 15 22:24:11 UTC 2025: ## Israeli Military Orders Demolition of 100 Palestinian Homes in West Bank Camp, Sparking Outcry
Nur Shams Refugee Camp, Occupied West Bank – The Israeli military has issued demolition orders for 25 residential buildings in the Nur Shams refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, potentially displacing hundreds of Palestinians. Local authorities confirmed that the demolition, slated to begin this week, will impact approximately 100 family homes.
Abdallah Kamil, governor of the Tulkarem governorate, stated that he was informed of the planned operation by COGAT, the Israeli Defence Ministry body responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs.
The planned demolition comes amid “Operation Iron Wall,” an ongoing Israeli military campaign in the West Bank, ostensibly aimed at combating armed groups in refugee camps.
Palestinians and human rights organizations are condemning the move, alleging that it is part of a broader strategy to “cage in” the Palestinian population and alter the demographic landscape of the West Bank. They point to a pattern of demolitions and forced displacement in refugee camps over the past year, with an estimated 1,500 homes damaged and 32,000 Palestinians displaced.
“This is part of ethnic cleansing and continuous forced displacement,” stated Rouhi Fattouh, head of the Palestinian National Council.
Residents of Nur Shams held a demonstration on Monday, blocking Israeli military vehicles and demanding the right to return to their homes. One resident, Aisha Dama, whose four-floor family home is set to be demolished, expressed feeling abandoned. “On the day it happened, no one checked on us or asked about us,” she said.
Experts are also raising concerns about the dehumanizing effects of the Israeli policies. Omer Bartov, a professor of holocaust and genocide studies at Brown University, argued that Israel is creating a “growing situation of social death” for Palestinians, drawing parallels to the treatment of Jewish populations in Germany during the 1930s.
Nur Shams, like other refugee camps in the West Bank, was established following the 1948 Nakba, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were displaced from their homes. These camps have since evolved into densely populated neighborhoods, with refugee status passed down through generations.
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