The Israeli army has issued a military order to demolish 25 residential buildings in the Nur Shams refugee camp, east of Tulkarem in the occupied West Bank’s northwestern part, beginning December 18.
The decision, announced in an official statement, has drawn sharp condemnation from Palestinian officials and renewed calls for international intervention.
According to the army’s statement, the order was signed by Major General Avi Blot, commander of the Central Region, who claimed the demolitions were necessary for “operational needs.”
The statement alleged that refugee camps in the northern West Bank serve as “centers of terrorist activity” and insisted that Israeli forces continue to discover weapons and explosives during incursions.
The army argued that the demolitions are part of efforts to prevent armed groups from reorganizing in the camps.
Local officials rejected these claims, describing the order as part of a broader campaign of destruction and forced displacement.
Tulkarem Governor Abdallah Kamil called on the international community, human rights organizations, and diplomatic missions to act immediately to stop the demolitions.
In a press release, he said the decision represents “a continuation of Israeli arrogance and crimes against our people in Tulkarem and Nur Shams refugee camps,” adding that it will deepen the humanitarian crisis and force more families from their homes.
Humanitarian agencies warn that the demolitions will exacerbate already dire conditions in Nur Shams, where thousands of residents live in overcrowded housing.
UNRWA has previously reported widespread damage to refugee camp’s infrastructure from Israeli military operations, and rights groups stress that the destruction of civilian property in occupied territory is prohibited under international law.
The Fourth Geneva Convention forbids such actions except under strict military necessity, a justification widely rejected by legal experts and human rights bodies.
The order comes amid an escalation of Israeli military operations across the northern West Bank, where incursions and demolitions have displaced thousands of Palestinians since early 2025.
Palestinian officials describe the measures as collective punishment and accuse Israel of pursuing demographic engineering through forced displacement.
Governor Kamil reiterated that the demolitions constitute a “flagrant violation of international law, humanitarian law, and human rights conventions,” urging urgent global action to halt what he described as an ongoing assault on Tulkarem’s camps, villages, and towns.
