New “Nakba”: Tens of Thousands of Palestinians Flee West Bank Due to Israeli Attacks

FAR’A, THURSDAY – Tens of thousands of Palestinian residents in the West Bank have been forced to flee their homes due to Israeli military operations. This situation reminds them of the Nakba tragedy in 1948, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were expelled from their land. The tactics used by the Israeli military in the West Bank are also considered not much different from their actions in the Gaza Strip.

The Associated Press (AP) news agency reported on Thursday (20/2/2025) that in recent weeks, West Bank residents have been flocking to escape the Israeli military operations across the northern region. By car or on foot, traversing muddy paths under the watch of snipers, West Bank residents are seeking safe places.

The Israeli military (IDF) announced an operation in the West Bank on January 21, 2025, just two days after the ceasefire agreement with Hamas took effect in Gaza. The IDF began in the Jenin refugee camp but then expanded to the surrounding areas, including Tulkarem, Far’a, and Nur Shams. Israel claimed they were pursuing "members of militant groups."

Humanitarian workers say they have never seen a flow of refugees like this in the West Bank since 1967. At that time, Israel seized the western bank of the Jordan River, along with East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. At least 300,000 Palestinians were displaced at that time.

"This has never happened before. Add the infrastructure damage, we reach a point where those camps become uninhabitable," said Roland Friedrich, Director of West Bank Affairs for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). According to UNRWA, at least 40,100 Palestinians in the West Bank have been displaced due to ongoing Israeli military operations.

Based on data from the Palestinian Authority, around 17,000 people have left the Jenin refugee camp, which is now empty. From the Nur Shams camp, at least 6,000 people have fled, or about two-thirds of the total population. Another 10,000 people have left the Tulkarem camp.

Experts say that Israel’s tactics in the West Bank are almost indistinguishable from those in Gaza. Especially with US President Donald Trump’s statement that he wants to move Palestinians from Gaza, the Israeli right wing has become more vocal in calling for the annexation of the West Bank. “The idea of ‘cleansing’ Palestinian land is now more popular than ever,” said Yagil Levy, professor and head of the Institute for the Study of Civil-Military Relations at the Open University of Israel.

The IDF denied issuing evacuation orders to West Bank residents, saying its forces were securing passage for those who wanted to leave of their own accord.

AP reporters interviewed scores of Palestinian refugees last week and found that they were not fleeing their homes out of fear, but on orders from Israeli forces. In the Nur Shams camp, AP reporters heard Israeli soldiers making announcements over a mosque loudspeaker, ordering people to leave.

Some refugees said the Israeli soldiers were polite, knocking on doors and telling them they could return when the Israelis left. Others said the Israeli soldiers were rude, searching rooms, brandishing long-barreled weapons and urging people to leave their homes.

"I cried, asking them why they wanted us to leave the house. My baby was upstairs, I took him. They only gave me 7 minutes. I took all my children, that's all," said Ayat Abdullah (30), recalling the incident that befell him in Kafr al-Labd village.

Abdullah walked 10 kilometers with only the light of his cellphone flashlight. The road he passed was full of mud because of heavy rain. Holding his children, he dared to walk because a few hours earlier a sniper shot a 23-year-old pregnant woman.

In the town of Anabta, volunteers went in and out of mosques and government buildings that had been turned into shelters. They handed out blankets, coffee, boiled eggs and breakfast. Locals also opened their homes to evacuees from Nur Shams and Tulkarem.

When the Israeli military operation in the West Bank began, soldiers bulldozed buildings, along with water pipes. Clean water stopped flowing. Sewers gushed. The internet went down. Schools closed. Food supplies dwindled. Explosions were heard everywhere.

“They are doing everything they can to force us out,” said Ahmad Sobuh, a Far’a resident who initially chose to stay but was left with no choice but to flee.

Refugees say Israeli forces have taken over homes to use as dormitories, warehouses or lookout points. Israel blames the resistance groups for using civilian infrastructure to operate. But they do the same. (AP/Reuters)