UNRWA Report from the West Bank Reveals a Startling Truth
This is all done in the name of counterterrorism, but flattening communities will backfire.
Unprecedented levels of violence are taking place in Palestine’s West Bank, specifically in Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams. The Israeli military uses tanks, drones, and bulldozers to purge Palestinians from their homes and raze the remaining structures to the ground. Although conditions were poor before the October 7th attacks, they have significantly worsened after the attacks took place.
As of now, the systematic destruction of homes has left thousands of people internally displaced. Not only are homes destroyed, but essential infrastructure such as electricity and water lines are rendered non-functional. Such aggression is designed to make the area unlivable, forcing those displaced to live with other families, in public shelters, on the streets, or in overflowing refugee camps.
Even in the refugee camps, there is no escape from Israeli military aggression. Kamal Yousef, a resident of the Nur Shams refugee camp, attested that residents of the area use Telegram groups to keep track of raids and army movements. He witnessed houses being bulldozed while the residents were still inside and others being given hours or even mere minutes to evacuate their residence with no guarantee of return. The prison-like conditions generate a lingering sense of unease among the residents.
Drones and tanks occupy the streets of Nur Shams, a refugee camp with a population of around 50,000 to terrorize the residents. Those who are targeted are given mere minutes to evacuate their homes with no guarantee of return. After that, the people themselves face violence in its many forms. Some are beaten to the point of sustaining broken bones or facial wounds, clear signs of torture. Kamal Yousef recalled being held at gunpoint while an Israeli soldier searched a bag containing his family’s documents for weapons.
At other times, sound and stun grenades are used to stoke fear. Many residents of the refugee camps often find that their money, car keys, or IDs are stolen after encounters with the military. Others get coerced into deleting any sort of documentation they have of destruction or disappeared altogether with no word on if they are dead or alive.
This rampant destruction is not a case of a few rogue soldiers or hilltop kids. It is methodical and calculated, deliberately engineered to cause the most misery possible. Ever since the start of Operation Iron Wall in January of 2025, 10 UNRWA schools have closed, 56 people have lost their lives, and 41,000 people have been displaced. There are concerns that this sort of violence can expand to the other refugee camps in the West Bank.
This is all done in the name of counterterrorism, but one has to ask: Won’t such actions just further radicalize the people? After all, it is well-established that killing the insurgents alone will not solve any terrorism problems. Instead, terrorist groups will just replenish their ranks with newly radicalized fighters. With this in mind, it is becoming increasingly clear that both Israelis and Palestinians are fed up with the cycle of violence between them. Razing communities to the ground will only continue the cycle and escalate violence between both peoples.
