Israeli bulldozers have demolished homes for thousands of Palestinians living in refugee camps in the illegally occupied West Bank.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN’s Palestine refugee agency, UNRWA, said that the “Affected camps lie in ruins…Destruction of public infrastructure, bulldozing roads and access restrictions are common place.”
Israeli raids in the West Bank intensified 5 weeks ago, prompting the UN aid coordinating office, OCHA, to condemn the “lethal, war-like tactics” being employed by the Israeli military against Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank.
Excessive force is being used and hundreds of Palestinians have been ‘detained’ by the Israeli occupying forces.
On 23 February, the Israeli Minister of Defense released a statement that he had instructed Israeli Forces to remain in Jenin, Nur Shams and Tulkarm for the coming year, and that residents would not be permitted to return. On the same day, the Israeli Forces sent in the tanks to the West Bank.
Since 21 January 2025, 51 Palestinians, among them seven children have been killed by Israeli forces.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has described the escalation of the Israeli military campaign in The West Bank as ‘ deeply alarming’.
The military operations continued in the refugee camps at Jenin, Tulkarm and Tubas. Many were killed or injured and others forced to leave. Access to healthcare, water, electricity and other critical services has been severely impacted.
In a comment on social media on 26 February 2025 about the situation in the West Bank, Philippe Lazzarini, the UNRWA Commissioner-General said:
“Around 40,000 people have been forced to flee their homes especially in refugee camps in the north.
“Fear, uncertainty, and grief once again prevail.
“Affected camps lie in ruins.
“More than 5,000 children who normally go to UNRWA schools have been deprived of education, some for over 10 weeks now.
“Patients cannot access healthcare, families are cut off from water, electricity and other basic services.
“More and more people are relying on humanitarian aid at a time when aid agencies are overstretched and severely under-resourced.
“Our UNRWA teams are tracking displaced people and continue to provide them with much needed food, health care, and basics to keep them warm.
“The West Bank is becoming a battlefield: ordinary Palestinians are the first and most to suffer.
“This must end.”
Meanwhile in Gaza, where there is an uneasy ceasefire, seven newborn babies died of the cold, where inadequate shelters, and limited access to humanitarian aid, continues. The people, however, are determined to return to the shattered communities where they have lived for generations.
In Orkney, campaigners will be holding a vigil on Saturday, 1 March, on the Kirk Green, outside St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall between 1 and 2pm and welcome all who share their desire for peace. It is their intention to hold vigils on the first Saturday of every month.
Fiona Grahame
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