• ‘Demolition of the buildings will begin within 24 hours of the signing of this announcement, dated May 1, 2025,’ says Israeli army commander in West Bank

• Tulkarem and Nur Shams camps' bodies call on UN Security Council, international human rights organizations to act and put pressure on Israel to stop new aggressive action quickly

RAMALLAH, Palestine / ISTANBUL 

Palestine called for immediate international intervention on Thursday to halt the Israeli army's demolition of 106 Palestinian-owned buildings in the Tulkarem and Nur Shams refugee camps in the northern West Bank.

The army issued a formal notice, accompanied by maps identifying the targeted homes, and delivered a copy to the Palestinian liaison office, which is the official point of contact with Israel.

Anadolu obtained maps attached to the demolition order, which show red markings on the buildings to be demolished.

The Arabic-language version of the order, signed by the Israeli army commander in the West Bank, Avi Bluth, reads: “Under my authority as military commander (…) and as I believe this measure is necessary for purely military purposes, I order the demolition of the buildings marked in red on the attached map.”

The order states: “The demolition of the buildings will begin within 24 hours of the signing of this announcement, dated May 1, 2025.”

Tulkarem Governor Abdullah Kamil called for immediate international action to stop Israel’s decision to demolish 106 buildings in the Tulkarem and Nur Shams camps.

In a post on X, he said: “The occupation plans to demolish 58 buildings in Tulkarem camp and 48 homes in Nur Shams camp in the northern West Bank,” adding that residents will only be allowed to remove their furniture before the demolitions begin.

Meanwhile, the popular committees, institutions, and community groups of Tulkarem and Nur Shams camps issued a joint statement urging the UN Security Council, the United Nations, and international human rights organizations “to take action and pressure the Israeli occupation authorities to immediately stop the aggression.”

They highlighted that the Tulkarem and Nur Shams camps are being subjected to “systematic destruction and displacement through the expulsion of residents, demolition, detonation, and burning of residential homes.”

Nearly 960 Palestinians have been killed and over 7,000 others injured in attacks by the Israeli army and illegal settlers in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, according to Palestinian figures.​​​​​​​

In July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land illegal and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.