Unrwa warns Israel demolitions threaten Nur Shams refugee camp

The head of Unrwa affairs in the occupied West Bank warns that Israeli occupation forces are escalating their campaign against refugee camps in the north, with a new demolition order targeting Nur Shams.

Roland Friedrich says Israeli authorities have issued an order that places around 25 homes in the camp at immediate risk of destruction from December 18, threatening hundreds of Palestinian refugees who have already been forcibly displaced.

Friedrich says satellite imagery shows the scale of the damage inflicted even before the latest order, with nearly half of all structures in Nur Shams already damaged or destroyed.

“This falls within a recurring pattern witnessed in the region this year, whereby Israeli forces demolish homes with the aim of imposing long-term control over the camps in the northern West Bank, which would lead to a permanent change in the geographical character of these camps.”

He says Israeli authorities justify the demolitions under claims of “military necessity”, but stresses that such actions “do not make anyone safer”.

Friedrich warned that the forced displacement of more than 32,000 Palestinian refugees across the northern West Bank must not become permanent, saying families have waited anxiously for 11 months to return home, only to see that hope eroded with each new demolition.