MSF Warns of Unprecedented Displacement as Israel Detains 30 in West Bank

March 24, 2025 News
Palestinians are forced to evacuate the Tulkarem refugee camp. (Photo: via QNN, social media)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Israeli forces have detained at least 30 Palestinians during raids in the West Bank, including former prisoner Ahmed Walid Khashan, while forced displacement and destruction of refugee camps continue to escalate.

The Israeli army has detained at least 30 Palestinians during several raids in towns and villages across the West Bank, while Doctors Without Borders has warned of the unprecedented scale of forced displacement and destruction of refugee camps.

Local sources cited by the Al Jazeera Arabic news site said that occupation forces raided the cities of Jenin, Qalqilya, and Nablus in the northern West Bank, detaining several Palestinians after raiding their homes.

Raids were also carried out in Hebron (Al-Khalil) and Bethlehem in the southern West Bank, where more Palestinians were detained.

In Salfit, several neighborhoods were also invaded and homes were searched for wanted Palestinians, as part of the ongoing military operation across the West Bank.

Raids and arrests also took place in the town of Silat al-Harithiya, south of Jenin, the town of Qatana, and the Ras Shehada area in the Shuafat refugee camp in occupied Jerusalem.

Former Prisoner Detained

The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) said that among the detainees is the former prisoner Ahmed Walid Khashan from the town of Bir al-Basha in the Jenin Governorate – released in the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

Since the beginning of the invasion, the number of detainees in Jenin and its refugee camp has reached 480, while in Tulkarm and its two refugee camps, the number of detainees has reached 230, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

According to the latest figures from Addameer, the Palestinian Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, cited by WAFA, there are currently 9,500 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli prisons and detention centers, including 350 child prisoners and 21 female prisoners.

According to the latest figures from Addameer, the Palestinian Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, there are currently 9,500 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli prisons and detention centers, including 350 child prisoners and 21 female prisoners.

Meanwhile, four Palestinians were injured by Israeli forces’ gunfire during a raid on the city of Dura, south of Hebron.

The Israeli occupation forces fired live ammunition, sound bombs, and tear gas, forced shopkeepers to close their doors, and assaulted Palestinians, Al Jazeera reported.

Jenin

Israeli occupation forces continue their military operations in the city of Jenin and its camp, bulldozing and setting homes alight, with some converted into military barracks.

Palestinian sources cited by Al Jazeera reported that occupation forces have arrested approximately 230 residents from the governorate since the beginning of the military operation in Jenin in January dubbed Operation Iron Wall, while at least 34 people have been killed.

The Jenin Municipality confirmed that the number of displaced persons from the camp has reached 21,000, distributed between the city of Jenin and several villages in the governorate.

Effects on Economy

“The military operation in Jenin and the accompanying closure of the Jalameh checkpoint are the most severe and dangerous for Jenin’s economy since the Second Intifada,” Director General of the Jenin Chamber of Commerce, Muhammad Kamil, reportedly said.

“Their cumulative effects have created a recession that will not be easy to overcome or address in the near term,” he added.

Kamil told Al Jazeera that daily losses are estimated at $8 million, in addition to the private sector’s construction losses, the destruction of infrastructure, the daily depletion of private sector resources, and the displacement of local investment to foreign markets.

Since its invasion of Jenin, the army expanded the operation to Tulkarm refugee camp, now in its 52nd day, and to Nur Shams refugee camp, now in its 39th day. These operations have resulted in the deaths, injuries, and arrests of dozens of Palestinians.

‘Israel Must Stop’ – MSF

On Monday, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, warned that tens of thousands of displaced people in northern parts of the West Bank are without proper shelter, essential services, and access to healthcare.

In a press statement, MSF pointed out that since Israel launched Operation Iron Wall in January, thousands of people have been forcibly displaced, leaving them in an extremely precarious situation.

“This scale of forced displacement and destruction of the camps has not been seen for decades,” Brice de la Vingne, MSF director of operations, said.

“People are unable to return to their homes as Israeli forces have blocked access to the camps, destroying homes and infrastructure,” he added.

The organization warned that Israel must immediately halt the forcible displacement of the Palestinian people.

‘Camps have Become Ruins’

“Camps have become ruins and dust,” De la Vingne said. “Israel must stop this, and the humanitarian response needs to be scaled up.”

The organization also stressed that since the genocidal assault on Gaza began in October 2023, Israeli occupation forces have increased the use of extreme physical violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, as MSF highlighted in its report “Inflicting harm and denying care”.

It cited the World Health Organization (WHO) figures of 930 Palestinians killed, including 187 children, since the war began in Gaza.

Access to Healthcare Hindered

The statement pointed out that access to healthcare has been severely hindered, as confirmed by MSF teams on the ground “who have witnessed the systematic pattern of oppression by Israel on health workers and patients.”

The Iron Wall operation has effectively emptied the three main refugee camps of Jenin, Tulkarem and Nur Shams in the northern West Bank, forcibly displacing over 40,000 Palestinians, according to OCHA.

“The (Israeli) army raided our house and ordered us to evacuate,” Issam, an MSF patient who was displaced from Nur Shams camp was quoted as saying. “We weren’t allowed to take anything with us – not even our documents.”

“All we received was the warning: ‘Get out’,” Issam added. “Displacement is suffering, a silent anguish, a deep pain in the heart for everyone. You see the tears in people’s eyes, but we hold them back.”

Mental Health ‘Alarming’

MSF also pointed out that the mental health situation “is alarming” with many patients suffering from stress, anxiety, and depression due to the violent and unpredictable nature of incursions and displacement.

“People don’t know what has happened to their homes and have suffered immense losses, including their sense of purpose,” Mohammad, an MSF community health educator, said.

Abdel, a resident of Jenin camp, said “Drones were flying over the houses, ordering the residents to get out.”

“They always destroy things, but nothing like this has ever happened before,” he added.

(PC, AJA)

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