The Palestinian Association for Human Rights (Witness) strongly condemns the extensive demolition operations carried out by the Israeli occupation army in the Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps in the northern part of the occupied West Bank, which resulted in the destruction of 106 Palestinian buildings, including multi-story homes in the Manasheyah neighborhood in the Nur Shams camp on Tuesday, May 6, 2025.
(Witness) clarifies that this escalation occurred at a time when incursions and raids by the occupation forces are continuing, along with arrest campaigns that have targeted a number of Palestinians in various towns and camps in the West Bank. These violations persist at a time when Palestinian families face the threat of displacement due to these coercive measures.
The Palestinian Association for Human Rights (Witness) considers the demolition of Palestinian homes a war crime under international humanitarian law. It also represents collective punishment against Palestinian civilians. Furthermore, these demolitions violate international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions, particularly Article 53 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits the destruction of private property in occupied territories.
(Witness) stresses the necessity of halting demolition and forcible eviction operations, and the need to stop the ethnic cleansing operations in the occupied Palestinian territories. It calls for the following:
•The international community, including the United Nations and international human rights organizations, to bear its legal and moral responsibilities by pressuring Israel to halt these violations and protect the rights of the Palestinian people.
•A call for the International Criminal Court to assume its responsibility in investigating the crimes committed by the Israeli occupation against Palestinian civilians, particularly the demolition of homes and the crime of genocide through ethnic cleansing operations, and to bring those responsible for these violations to justice.
The Palestinian Association for Human Rights (Witness)
May 6, 2025