Human Rights Watch on Nov. 20 accused of Israel committing war crimes over its removal of tens of thousands of Palestinians from three refugee camps in the occupied West Bank in early 2025.
The organization said in a report that top Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz should be investigated for war crimes and prosecuted if found responsible.
While much of the world focused on the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Israel's military raided refugee camps in the north of the West Bank and expelled tens of thousands of Palestinians from their homes in January and February. It amounted to the largest-ever displacement in the territory since Israel captured it in the 1967 Mideast war.
Israel has said troops would stay in some camps for a year. It is not clear when, if ever, Palestinians will be able to return. In the meantime, thousands of Palestinians are living with relatives or cramming into rental apartments, while the impoverished seek refuge in public buildings.
In its report, Human Rights Watch said that Israeli authorities didn’t offer any explanation as to why they had to expel the camps’ entire population to achieve their military objective and did not provide reasons why they haven’t allowed the return of Palestinians. The report said also that the military fired upon residents attempting to reenter the camps, and that it has not provided shelter or humanitarian assistance to those still displaced.
“With global attention focused on Gaza, Israeli forces have carried out war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing in the West Bank that should be investigated and prosecuted,” said Nadia Hardman, senior refugee and migrant rights researcher at Human Rights Watch.
The group said that during the operation, troops were “storming homes, ransacking properties, interrogating residents” before displacing them from their homes.
The group said it based the report on interviews with 31 Palestinians displaced from Tulkarem, Nur Shams and Jenin refugee camps.
