Israel expanded the demolition of the homes of the West Bank

At night, the Israeli forces entered the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank and began the 20,000 residents of their residents to leave their homes.

“I left my family all, but I told them that I must stay, if the Israeli forces come to our house, I want to be there to stop the damage.”

Following that was three days of fear, with the continuous sound of fire, explosions and drones flying in the neighborhood, and issuing orders that Jumaa cannot be released in noise. Then the water and the electricity were cut off, its phone came out of the battery and Jumaa felt that he could no longer stay.

Now, after three months, Jumaa stands on a hill in the city of Jenin, and the city is seen ghosts in the refugee camp, which is still and the other residents are prevented from returning by the Israeli army.

He is trying to find out if his house was one of the many Israeli forces destroyed during its operations against the Palestinian armed groups that were present in the camp. The sound of the continuous bangs can be heard below.

“Some people told me that they believed that our building has been demolished, but we do not know the certainty.”

The father of the ninth, who used to work in construction, remained for a period of three months in a school that turned to school for the residents of the displaced camp. He has now moved to the residence of university students who share his brother.

Before the outbreak of the war in Gaza in October 2023, Israel was already working on a military campaign against armed groups in the West Bank.

A number of groups appeared in the intense urban refugee camps that were created for the Palestinians who fled or expelled from their homes during the war that followed the establishment of Israel in 1948.

The main groups in the Jenin camp belonging to the Palestinian Islamic jihad and Hamas. Their fighters mostly attacked the Israeli military forces, as well as separate attacks on Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

The number of fighters is unknown, but local journalists estimate that there are about 150 fighters in the Jenin camp before the recent operations by both Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

The Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the West Bank, launched a campaign of its own in Jenin Camp in December 2024, and its forces withdrew only when the Israeli army began its main work there in January.

The Israeli Minister of Defense described the “nests of terrorism”, and in January he climbed its campaign against the armed groups inside it – the entry of a number of refugee camps in the northern West Bank, which includes tens of thousands of Palestinians.

The residents ordered to leave and began a wave of demolitions, while giving some residents short opportunities to collect property.

But with almost Israel prevents access to the camps and not publicly announcing the buildings that destroyed them, many Palestinians feel astonished about whether they have a house to return to it.

The United Nations Palestinian Refugee Agency says its best estimate is that Israel demolished at least 260 buildings containing about 800 apartments during the “iron iron operation”, with a focus on three refugee camps in the northern West Bank: Jenin, Tolkram and Nour Shams. UNRWA estimates that 42,000 Palestinians have been displaced from the camps since January.

In February, the Israeli army announced that it had killed 60 fighters in its operations and arrested 280 others. Meanwhile, Palestinian health officials say 100 people have been killed in the West Bank since the beginning of the Israel operation in January until today.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the army was destroying weapons and infrastructure “widely” and said it ordered the army to stay in refugee camps for a year and prevent residents there.

The Israeli army told the BBC that the militias “use civilians as human shields and endanger them by cultivating explosive devices and hiding weapons.”

On May 1, Israel gave Palestinian officials in the West Bank a new map of 106 buildings it said would be destroyed in Tulkarem and Nur Shams refugees during the next 24 hours “for military purposes.” She said that residents can apply for a short window to return home to recover basic property.

Relief agencies say that the Israeli campaign has caused the largest forced displacement of the Palestinians in the West Bank for decades.

“What is happening is unprecedented,” says Roland Friedrich, director of the West Bank in UNRWA.

He added: “With regard to the number of displaced persons and the level of destruction, we have not seen anything like that since 1967,” referring to the year that Israel began to occupy the military occupation of the West Bank.

While filming an interview with the mayor of Jenin, the BBC witnessed the detention of many Palestinians, including municipal workers who were trying to enter the camp in order to wipe a road to a nearby hospital. She was kept for three hours before release.

“There are great challenges, in terms of providing services to citizens. As everyone knows, the infrastructure has been completely demolished in Jenin Camp,” says Mayor Mohamed Jarrar.

“Israel’s goal is to try to make Jenin Camp completely inappropriate to live in it, and I tell you that it is now completely inappropriate.”

Roland Friedrich of UNRWA, including the exact range of demolition, says.

Jumaa is among some of the displaced Palestinians who have been granted a short visit by the Israeli forces to recover property. He was only able to obtain a United Nations identity card and family dog. Then, after two months, in March, Israel issued a map of more than 90 buildings that he set to demolish in Jenin. Jumaa residence looked among them.

The Israeli army told the BBC that it was necessary to demolish these buildings in order to improve the “freedom of movement” of its forces, but he did not confirm whether the Juma house had already been destroyed.

The BBC compared the map of Israel’s demolition in March with the pictures of the satellite of Jenin after a week. We were able to confirm that by March 27, at least 33 buildings were destroyed on the list, including Jumaa. Satellite images reveal many other demolitions that have occurred since January, including building new roads by Israeli forces as the buildings that had previously stood.

“Why did they demolish my house? I want to know. I want the Israeli army to give me justification. I had no ties with the militants. I am a peaceful person.”

“I have done a 50 -year job job to build my home.”

Although he learned that his house was demolished, Jumaa still insists that he will return to the house.

“I will not leave the camp,” he said. ”

“Isn’t this enough because my family was displaced in 1948, and now we must face the displacement again?”

Participated in additional reports by Lina Sheikhouni and Danieli Palombo.