Israel has expelled 40,000 people from four refugee camps in the northern occupied West Bank (Tulkarm, Nur Shams, Jenin, Far’a) as it expands a major military operation known as Iron Wall launched in late January.
This marks the largest forced displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank since 1967, according to aid agencies.
The United Nations reports 51 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers have been killed, with significant damage to water and sanitation infrastructure.
The defence minister, Israel Katz, said the displaced Palestinians would not be allowed to return and the camps would be occupied by the military for the coming year.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces have occupied new tracts of territory in the UN-patrolled buffer zone in southern Syria and carried out air strikes in the region, triggering protests in Damascus.
