The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has warned that Israel's military offensive in the West Bank has escalated forced displacement of Palestinians at an alarming level, impacting over 76,000 people in the area, Press TV reported.
In a statement released on Monday, UNRWA reported that Israel's so-called “Iron Wall” military raid has resulted in the near-complete evacuation of several key refugee camps.
The agency expressed deep concern over the forced displacement of the communities, describing the situation as "escalating at an alarming pace" due to increasingly coercive and dangerous living conditions.
“The use of air strikes, armored bulldozers, controlled detonations, and advanced weaponry by the Israeli forces has become commonplace,” UNRWA stated, adding that these methods appear to be a spillover from the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
UNRWA reiterated that "civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected at all times and that collective punishment is never acceptable."
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, since January 21, the Israeli regime has carried out military operations in Jenin, Tulkarm, and Tammun in the northern West Bank, killing over 30 Palestinians.
The operation, which began in the Jenin refugee camp, has now reached its third week, marking the longest military campaign in the West Bank since the second Intifada.
The UN agency reported that the offensive has spread to the Tulkarm, Nur Shams, and Far’a refugee camps, which collectively house approximately 76,600 Palestinian refugees.
bd-pratidin/GR
