For a second consecutive day, Israeli forces have continued the large-scale destruction of homes in the Nur Shams refugee camp, east of Tulkarm in the northern West Bank, leaving scores of families without shelter. Heavy machinery moved through the Al-Maslakh neighbourhood, flattening residential buildings as part of an operation that targets entire sections of the densely populated camp.

Local officials confirmed that the plan involves the demolition of 25 civilian buildings containing more than 100 housing units. The structures had already been emptied following a military operation launched in mid-December, forcing residents to flee before their homes were reduced to rubble. The scale of the destruction has intensified fears of permanent displacement for families who have lived in the camp for generations.

Tulkarm’s governor, Abdullah Kamil, denounced the demolitions as collective punishment, describing them as a continuation of systematic violations against refugee communities. He warned that the policy is deepening human suffering by deliberately producing homelessness and forced displacement, and called on international institutions to intervene before conditions deteriorate further amid an ongoing genocidal war.

The demolitions were carried out after an Israeli court approved the destruction orders, despite official acknowledgment that the targeted buildings were civilian properties with no military function. Legal advocates from the Arab rights organisation Adalah said the ruling relied on undisclosed material submitted by the prosecution in coordination with military intelligence, preventing residents and their lawyers from challenging the claims effectively.

According to Adalah, the decision reflects a broader pattern in which courts consistently authorise mass demolitions in refugee camps across the northern West Bank, often based on secret evidence and vague security arguments. The group warned that such rulings entrench forced displacement, undermine the right of return, and violate fundamental principles of international humanitarian law. Similar petitions filed in recent months concerning demolitions in Jenin, Nur Shams, and Tulkarm have all been dismissed.