The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) have continued their widescale military assault on the northern West Bank for 19 days amid airstrikes, killings, destruction, and mass arrests. This campaign mirrors the genocide committed in the Gaza Strip for over 15 months with escalation of assaults and the destruction of homes and facilities across the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.

During this campaign in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, IOF’s attacks have collected the lives of 44 Palestinians, including 18 civilians; among them 5 children. Among those killed, 30 Palestinians, including 16 civilians, among them 4 children, have been killed after being targeted in Jenin, Tulkarm, and Tubas, and 117 others have been injured, while more than 225 Palestinians have been arrested. The IOF’s assault has also forcibly displaced about 30,000 Palestinians from their homes.

The IOF’s assault on Jenin

According to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) field documentation, since 21 January 2025, the IOF have continued their ground invasion into Jenin city, its refugee camp, west of the city, and the surrounding villages, with Israeli warplanes heavily hovering above. The IOF continue to besiege Jenin city and its refugee camp, deploying military vehicles at all the camp’s entrances. From time to time, reinforcements, including military tanks and bulldozers, have been sent from al-Jalama Crossing, north of Jenin, to the camp. The IOF have also carried out widescale destruction in Jenin refugee camp, either by detonation or bulldozers. Additionally, they have continued their policy of targeted killings, whether through drone airstrikes or direct gunfire at any moving object in Jenin city, its refugee camp, and some of its villages.

According to initial information monitored by PCHR’s researchers, the IOF’s assaults have led to the following:

• 25 Palestinians, including 13 civilians; among them 3 children, killed, and more than 100 others injured, mostly civilians; with some sustaining serious injuries.
• 120 Palestinians arrested during widescale house raids, most of them have been interrogated in the field, dozens remain in detention, while some of them have been released outside the camp.
• About 15,000 Palestinians forcibly displaced from Jenin refugee camp to Jenin city and nearby villages.
• 13 schools shut down, disrupting the educational process.
• Large areas of Jenin refugee camp and its streets destroyed. According to initial estimates, hundreds of homes have been completely or partially demolished, burned or blown up, while hundreds of vehicles, shops, and facilities within the camp sustained damage.
• Daily life and work disrupted in the camp.
• Hospitals in Jenin city besieged, and medical staff obstructed due to the deployment of Israeli military vehicles around the hospitals, particularly Jenin Governmental Hospital, which is just tens of meters away from Jenin camp. All of this has hindered patients’ access to the hospital. In the early hours of the IOF’s military assault, 5 medical personnel have been injured, 3 of whom work at Jenin Governmental Hospital.

IOF’s assault on Tulkarm

Since the afternoon of 27 January 2025, the IOF have continued their military assault on Tulkarm City and Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps. The IOF have sent military backups from “Tsan’oz” military checkpoint, west of Tulkarm City, to the city and its refugee camps. Destruction and detonation of houses continued as well as the already damaged infrastructure. Additionally, at gunpoint, the IOF forcibly displaced the residents of Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps to the city.

According to initial information monitored by PCHR’s researchers, the IOF’s assault has led to the following:

• 5 Palestinians, including 3 civilians, among then a child, killed, and 15 more injured.
• About 85 Palestinians, including 6 children, arrested during house raids, noting that they were severely beaten before being arrested.
• A tight siege has been imposed by the IOF on Thabet Thabet Governmental Hospital and Al-Israa Specialized Hospital, obstructing the provision of medical services and causing the deterioration of patients’ health conditions, including kidney dialysis patients who are struggling to reach the hospital due to the siege.
• The family of detainee Mohammed Jawdat Qasem Shahrour, who has been detained since 09 April 2024, informed that his apartment in the eastern neighborhood of Tulkarm had been seized and destroyed.
• 12 schools shut down in Tulkarm City and its refugee camp due to the IOF’s assault, disrupting the educational process.
• About 10,450 Palestinians, consisting of 2,105 families, representing 85% of Tulkarm refugee camp residents, forcibly displaced.
• Hundreds of Palestinians living in buildings in the eastern and southern neighborhoods of Tulkarm city, including buildings belonging to al-Daddou, Abu Salah, and al-Burhan among others, forcibly displaced from their homes in cold weather and dire conditions without being allowed to take their belongings. These buildings have been turned into military barracks.
• The displaced people, who have been forced to leave their homes, are enduring dire humanitarian conditions in shelters in nearby neighborhoods and villages such as Thanaba, Iktaba, al-Rashid, al-Showika, Deir al-Ghusun, Anabta, Bal’a, and others. Many of the displaced have sought refuge in their relatives’ homes, while others are living in tents under harsh conditions, receiving insufficient aid and suffering from a lack of blankets.
• Widescale destruction of Tulkarm refugee camps’ infrastructure and civilian buildings through demolition, burning, and detonation.

Head of the Popular Committee for Services in Tulkarm refugee camp, Fisal Salam, said to PCHR’s researcher:

“The current situation in the camp is that homes have been completely or partially destroyed, some have been burned, and others have been detonated. Around 300 buildings, including homes and apartments housing dozens of families, have been completely destroyed or burned, while about 2,000 homes have sustained partial damage. The humanitarian situation in the camp is tragic, and the IOF continues to besiege it and obstruct the work and movement of ambulance and medical personnel, especially those from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), denying them from providing humanitarian services to the residents.”

IOF’s assault on Tubas

Since 02 February 2025, the IOF have continued its widescale assault on Tammun village and Far’a refugee camp, southeast of Tubas. According to PCHR’s staff field documentation, the IOF have imposed a strict curfew and siege on Tammun village and the adjacent Far’a refugee camp for 7 days. Additionally, power, water, and communication services have been cut off in some neighborhoods of Tammun village and Far’a refugee camp due to the demolition of infrastructure by Israeli bulldozers. Residents are also enduring a shortage of food supplies and medicine, and they are only allowed to leave the village or the camp for emergencies and after long hours of coordination. On Friday, 07 February 2025, the IOF opened fire at residents, who had gone out to bring basic necessities and food supplies, injuring two of them.  

Mayor of Tammun Municipality, Najeh Bani ‘Odah, said to PCHR’s researcher:

“At around 02:00, on 02 February 2025, the IOF, backed by helicopters and a drone, moved into Tammun village, where they imposed a curfew and then raided about 20 buildings, expelling their residents. They also turned these buildings into military barracks and observation posts for Israeli snipers. Some neighborhoods in the village suffer from a lack of water, electricity, and communication due to the demolition of infrastructure and geographic fragmentation. Additionally, the residents are facing a shortage of medicines and foodstuffs. The IOF have raided houses and arrested dozens of Palestinians; 20 of them remain in detention. Due the IOF’s assault on the city, the educational process has been disrupted, and farmers have incurred heavy losses due to their inability to harvest crops such as cabbage, cucumber, tomato, and potato.”

Nedal ‘Odah, Director of the PRCS in Tubas, said to PCHR’s researcher:

“Since the beginning of the IOF’s military assault on Tammun village and Far’a refugee camp, the IOF have denied our crews access to the village and camp except upon highly precise coordination, which takes long hours to be approved and is only for emergencies; otherwise, the lives of our teams are put at extreme risk.”

During this period, the IOF have intensified house demolition policy in other areas across the West Bank. They have demolished 31 homes in Jericho, Hebron, Salfit, and Bethlehem, forcibly displacing 153 Palestinians, including 30 women and 91 children.

PCHR reiterates its warning that the IOF’s assault, referred to as “The Iron Wall”¹, marks the beginning of a dangerous escalation in the West Bank, particularly following the Gaza ceasefire. This raises serious concerns about a high death toll, widespread destruction, and repetition of the Gaza scenario by committing a similar genocide in the West Bank.

PCHR once again warns of the consequences of IOF’s escalating policy, including the unjustified killings and the excessive use of force in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt).

PCHR recalls the advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in August 2024, which has concluded the illegality of Israel’s continued presence and practices in the oPt. Therefore, the ongoing unlawful occupation in the oPt and persistent denial of Palestinians’ inalienable rights remain the main cause of the drastic escalation and the deteriorating situation. Based on this, PCHR calls on the international community to act upon the ICJ’s recommendations and take immediate action to end the illegal occupation and stop double standards in the application of international law.

PCHR urges the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor to issue additional arrest warrants against Israeli leaders and officials involved in war crimes and crimes against humanity in the West Bank, particularly regarding settlement crimes.

PCHR reiterates its call on the High Contracting Parties to the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their obligations under Article 1; i.e., to respect and ensure respect for the Convention in all circumstances and their obligations under Article 146 to prosecute persons alleged to commit grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention.