Hundreds of Palestinian families flee West Bank camp ahead of Israeli demolition orders

TULKAREM REFUGEE CAMP, West Bank (AP) — Hundreds of Palestinians have fled a section of the Tulkarem refugee camp in the occupied West Bank after receiving Israeli demolition orders — joining tens of thousands of people to be displaced by an open-ended military offensive in the area.

The residents loaded all of their earthly possessions — mattresses, blankets, washing machines — onto vehicles on Wednesday before taking one last glimpse of their homes and speeding off.

The new demolition order affects some 104 buildings, and at least 400 families now face homelessness, said Faisal Salama, a local official in the camp.

Late Wednesday, Israel’s Supreme Court temporarily froze the planned demolitions in response to a request from Adalah, a Palestinian human rights group in Israel.

The order gave the army until Sept. 2 to respond. But as of late Thursday, none of the displaced residents had returned. The Israeli army declined comment on the order.

The exodus on Wednesday is the latest triggered by Israeli operations to stamp out militancy in West Bank refugee camps in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack that ignited the war in Gaza. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been driven out of their homes this year in the largest displacement in the West Bank since Israel captured the territory in the 1967 Mideast war.

The Israeli military justified the planned demolitions in Tulkarem, saying it operates in areas “with high level of terrorism.” It said the decision to demolish buildings in the camp were made based on “operational necessity” to allow Israeli forces to operate freely and move in the area, and was made after other options were considered.

Israel’s raids have emptied out and largely destroyed several urban refugee camps in the northern West Bank, such as Tulkarem and nearby Nur Shams. Israel says troops will stay in some camps for a year.

Salama said with the latest orders, a total of 1,000 families have been displaced by recent demolition orders.

“Where will these families live? Where will they go? Their fate is uncertain and unknown,” he said.

Subhi Hamdan, 65, said he was given just one day to leave. He is worried he won’t be able to afford an apartment despite having registered for assistance with the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority.

“Until now we haven’t seen anything at all,” he said. “Where can anyone go?”