The international human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) warned on Wednesday that Israel is replicating its Gaza violations in the occupied West Bank.
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In a statement, HRW noted that Israeli tanks have entered the West Bank for the first time in two decades and described the ongoing Israeli military operation—focused on the northern West Bank—as the longest since the Second Intifada.
The United Nations has reported that refugee camps in Jenin, Nur Shams, and Tulkarm have become nearly uninhabitable due to Israeli attacks.
HRW further stated that the Israeli army has destroyed a significant number of homes and critical infrastructure, including kilometers of sewage systems and water pipelines in Jenin.
"Israel is replicating its Gaza violations in the occupied West Bank. We have seen these tactics before in Gaza," the organization warned.
Israeli officials have openly discussed these policies. Former Foreign Minister Israel Katz previously stated that Israel should "deal with the threat in the West Bank just as it does with terrorist infrastructure in Gaza, including the temporary displacement of Palestinians."
Similarly, Bezalel Smotrich, a minister within the Israeli Defense Ministry (Minister of Civil Administration), has repeatedly threatened that West Bank Palestinians could face the same fate as those in Gaza.
Calls for International Action
HRW urged the international community to take action to prevent further atrocities in all occupied Palestinian territories. The organization called for:
Targeted sanctions against those involved in ongoing serious violations.
Suspending arms transfers to Israel.
Banning trade with illegal Israeli settlements.
UNRWA Chief Warns of Catastrophic Conditions
Earlier on Wednesday, the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, called for an end to Israel’s large-scale assault on the northern West Bank, which has been ongoing for five weeks.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Lazzarini warned that Israel’s assault has upended the lives of Palestinians in the northern West Bank, creating catastrophic conditions.
Israeli Military Escalation in the West Bank
Since January 21, 2025, the Israeli army has conducted a large-scale offensive in Palestinian cities and refugee camps in the northern West Bank, particularly in Jenin, Tulkarm, and Tubas.
The assault has resulted in:
63 Palestinian deaths
Tens of thousands displaced
Widespread destruction
First Tank Invasion of Jenin Since 2002
On Sunday, Israeli tanks stormed the Jenin refugee camp, marking the first such military escalation since "Operation Defensive Shield" in 2002.
Palestinian Authority Warns of Israeli Annexation Plan
Palestinian officials warn that the ongoing Israeli offensive is part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to annex the West Bank and impose Israeli sovereignty, which they say would effectively eliminate the possibility of a two-state solution.
The Broader Context: Israel’s Ongoing Military Campaign
The West Bank escalation follows a wave of intensified Israeli military operations and settler violence since Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza on October 7, 2023.
Since then, in the West Bank alone:
At least 926 Palestinians have been killed.
Around 7,000 have been injured.
Over 14,500 have been arrested.
Meanwhile, in Gaza, with U.S. support, Israel has carried out a genocide between October 7, 2023, and January 19, 2025, resulting in:
Over 160,000 Palestinian casualties (killed and wounded), most of them women and children.
More than 14,000 missing persons.
(Source: Anadolu Agency)
