The Israeli army said the demolitions were necessary for security reasons, but residents fear permanent displacement and the loss of their community.

RAMALLAH, July 10 (Xinhua) -- On a small plot of farmland near the northern West Bank city of Tulkarm, Palestinian refugee Mohammed al-Ashqar and his extended family now live in a makeshift tin shelter -- an improvised home after their residence in the Tulkarm refugee camp was destroyed during an Israeli military operation.

Al-Ashqar, 39, recounted the events of June 6, when his three-story home was demolished as part of what he described as a broad campaign targeting residential areas in the camp.

"On that day, we were forced to evacuate with only the children's clothes. Then the bulldozers came. No warning. Everything was lost," he said.

Now, the family of 10 shares a temporary shelter on agricultural land owned by a relative in Tulkarm city. With no income, they survive on help from neighbors and relatives. Electricity and clean water are scarce. The children spend their days outdoors, playing under the sun and eating the limited food available.

The situation worsened when another home that al-Ashqar had purchased years earlier, as a safeguard for his family's future, was also demolished.

He had not finished paying for it due to the economic downturn and the ban on Palestinian workers from entering Israel since the outbreak of the conflict in Gaza in October 2023.

"We hoped to build a future for our children, but today we live without shelter, without schools, without certainty," he said.

Since January, the Israeli military has launched a sustained campaign across northern West Bank refugee camps, including Tulkarm, Nur Shams, and Jenin. Israeli authorities said the operations are aimed at dismantling armed Palestinian groups active in these camps.

However, the destruction has displaced tens of thousands. Palestinian officials told Xinhua that around 40,000 refugees have been evacuated from the northern camps since the operations began.

Jamal Hudaydah, 60, a long-time resident of the Tulkarm camp, said he has not seen his home in more than six months. He and his family fled early during the military operation and have not been allowed to return.

"We lived in a two-story house in al-Murabba'a. We left with only what we could carry. I don't know what's left of the house now," he said.

In May, Israeli forces distributed maps outlining plans to demolish over 100 homes in the Tulkarm camp. The army said the demolitions were necessary for security reasons, but residents fear permanent displacement and the loss of their community.

"These are not just houses," Hadaydeh said. "This camp was where my father and I were born after the Nakba of 1948. Now it feels like history is repeating itself."

Faisal Salama, head of the local popular committee in the Tulkarm camp, told Xinhua that demolitions are taking place at an accelerated pace, and that the camp is gradually being emptied of both people and buildings.

"What we're seeing is a transformation and a change to the geography and symbolism of the refugee camps," he said.

Salama noted that residents were allowed a brief window to enter the camp and retrieve personal belongings.

According to his estimates, approximately 25,000 refugees have been displaced from the Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps alone.

In Jenin camp, similar operations continue. Bulldozers are demolishing homes and building new roads.

Bashir Matahin, spokesperson for the Jenin municipality, told Xinhua that around 600 homes have been destroyed, and eight roads have been constructed within and around the camp. As a result, approximately 22,000 residents have been displaced, and essential infrastructure, including water and electricity networks, has been wiped out.

"This is not just destruction: it is part of systematic forced displacement, a violation of international law, and a form of collective punishment," said Roland Friedrich, director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East's Affairs for the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in late June.

"The residents of these camps must be allowed to have access to their homes and permitted to return without delay," Friedrich added.