On Wednesday, April 2, 2025, Israeli occupation forces launched a large-scale military raid on
Dheisheh Refugee Camp in Bethlehem, marking yet another escalation in Israel’s systematic
displacement and annexation efforts across the occupied West Bank. Dozens of military vehicles
and bulldozers stormed the camp, accompanied by hundreds of heavily armed soldiers who
raided homes and shops, conducted mass arrests, and carried out invasive field investigations.
During the raid, Israeli forces posted signs on the camp walls and distributed leaflets warning
residents:
“Residents of Dheisheh Camp, Beware! As you have already seen, the camps in the northern
West Bank have paid a heavy price due to terrorist and militant activity. Wherever there is
terrorism, life suffers. The security forces will use all available means against any attempt or
activity of this kind. Consider this a warning!”
This raid is part of a broader Israeli strategy to systematically dismantle Palestinian refugee
camps and forcibly displace their residents. According to the latest reports, the incursion began at
10:00 a.m., with occupation forces sealing off all entrances to the camp, including the main,
northern, and western access points. The invasion was reinforced by four D9 armored bulldozers,
the same type of machinery previously used to destroy infrastructure in Jenin and Tulkarm
refugee camps. Prior to the raid, in March, local accounts report that Israeli soldiers marked homes in the 3 refugee camps in Bethlehem, Dheshes, Aida and Azza, with numbers in blue paint—a tactic reminiscent of Israel’s previous operations in Jenin and Tulkarem where marked buildings were later demolished. Drones were deployed to map out the camp’s rooftops, while soldiers took detailed measurements of its streets, raising concerns over imminent large-scale demolitions. In one instance, occupation forces stormed a family’s home, ransacking its contents, raising the Israeli flag inside, and posting further threats in an apparent effort to intimidate residents into submission [1] .
Israel’s ongoing destruction of Palestinian refugee camps is not an isolated policy but rather a
coordinated effort to forcibly remove Palestinian populations while simultaneously expanding
illegal Israeli settlements. This strategy aligns with recent statements by Israeli Finance Minister
Bezalel Smotrich, who has openly called for the dissolution of Palestinian refugee camps, the
dismantling of UNRWA, and the ultimate erasure of the Palestinian right of return. With
Smotrich’s return to the Knesset, new policies are being fast-tracked to accelerate the demolition
of Palestinian communities under the guise of Israel’s wartime “state of emergency” laws. These
measures surpass any form of protocol enabling the use of unlawful and unjust tactics in the aim
to establish settler-only zones and strategically connect Israeli settlements to Jerusalem,
effectively annexing vast areas of the occupied West Bank.
The forced displacement of Palestinian refugees, the destruction of civilian infrastructure, and
the expansion of illegal settlements and annexation constitute grave breaches of international
law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, which Israel to
which Israel is bound as Occupying Power. Moreover, the International Court of Justice (ICJ)
reaffirmed in its July 2024 advisory opinion that Israel’s occupation is unlawful and must end
immediately. The ICJ further emphasized the responsibility of all states not to recognize or assist
in maintaining Israel’s illegal actions in the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt), and to examine
measures needed to put Israel’s unlawful presence in the oPt to an end.
Despite these clear legal violations, Israel continues to exploit global inattention and political
instability to entrench its annexation policies with impunity. As the international community
debates its response, urgent action is required to hold Israel accountable for its escalating war
crimes and to prevent further forced displacement of Palestinian communities.
The demolition of refugee camps and expansion of illegal settlements are part of a broader
strategy to eliminate any possibility of Palestinian self-determination. With each forced eviction
and destruction of Palestinian homes, Israel moves closer to cementing its annexation of the
West Bank, erasing the Palestinian presence, and obstructing any future prospects for a just and
bright future.
[1] Nabil, Malik. “The Occupation Expands Its Aggression on the Deheishe Refugee Camp: Street
Measurements and House Markings.” Al-Araby, Al-Araby, 2 Apr. 2025