The rights group said about 32,000 residents of Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps were forcibly displaced by Israeli forces during "Operation Iron Wall" in January and February, Reuters reported. The displaced have been barred from returning, and hundreds of homes were demolished, said the group's 105-page report, titled "All My Dreams Have Been Erased".
"Ten months after their displacement none of the family residents have been able to go back to their homes," said Milena Ansari, a researcher for Human Rights Watch who worked on the report, speaking to Reuters on Wednesday.
The Israeli military said in a statement to Reuters on Wednesday that it needed to demolish civilian infrastructure so that it could not be exploited by militants. It did not say when residents could return.
The Geneva Conventions prohibit displacement of civilians from occupied territory, except temporarily for imperative military reasons or their security. HRW said senior officials responsible should be prosecuted for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The report describes soldiers storming homes, ransacking property and ordering families out via loudspeakers mounted on drones. It said residents reported bulldozers razing buildings as they fled and that Israeli forces offered no shelter or aid, leaving families to crowd into relatives’ homes or seek refuge in mosques, schools and charities.
MNA
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