Mass Displacement and Annexation Threats: The West Bank Faces a Gaza Scenario

9th May 2025

3 minutes read

Mass Displacement and Annexation Threats: The West Bank Faces a Gaza Scenario

While the world’s attention is focused on Gaza, a large-scale Israeli operation is unfolding quietly in the West Bank, far from the spotlight, bringing about radical changes in the reality of Palestinian cities and refugee camps.

Security campaigns have displaced tens of thousands of Palestinians and destroyed entire neighborhoods — a scene reminiscent of Gaza — with speculation that this step paves the way for a formal Israeli annexation of parts of the occupied territories, amid a growing far-right political rhetoric supporting settlement expansion, according to The New York Times.

The military operation has turned neighborhoods in the cities of Jenin and Tulkarm into war zones, with homes destroyed and roads torn apart by military bulldozers. Since January, entire districts have been emptied of their residents, with around 40,000 Palestinians fleeing their homes — the largest displacement since the occupation of the West Bank in 1967.

In Jenin, one neighborhood that once housed over ten thousand people has become a ghost town, surrounded by piles of rubble and debris, with roads blocked by layers of packed earth.

Extended Military Presence

Unlike previous rapid raids, the Israeli army is maintaining its longest presence in Palestinian cities in decades, backed by helicopters and armored vehicles. Although the operation reportedly targets members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the continued military presence is weakening President Mahmoud Abbas’s authority — the entity meant to govern these areas as part of a future Palestinian state.

“Israel is acting as if the Palestinian Authority doesn’t exist. We are at a turning point in the conflict,” said Mohammed Jarar, mayor of Jenin.

Forced Displacement and Fears of a ‘New Nakba’

Israel has issued demolition orders for hundreds of homes under the pretext of “facilitating military operations” — an allegation the army officially denies, though residents report otherwise.

These fears echo statements by extremist Israeli ministers like Itamar Ben-Gvir, who support annexing the West Bank, home to about three million Palestinians and 500,000 settlers.

According to local officials, Israel is targeting the identity of refugee camps originally established in 1948. In January, Palestinian leaders were informed of intentions to turn the Jenin camp into a “regular residential neighborhood,” sidelining UNRWA from service administration.

Palestinians reject this idea, as the camps are seen as symbols of the right of return. “Israel wants to erase our history. They’re sending a clear annexation message,” said Ammar Abu Bakr, head of Jenin’s Chamber of Commerce.

The Return Dilemma

Hundreds of displaced families now live in temporary shelters, such as student dorms in Jenin. “The hardest part of displacement is not knowing the fate of our homes. We live in uncertainty… We’ve lost control of everything,” said Mohamed Abou Wasfa, 45, who helps displaced families.

Aerial footage has become essential in documenting the destruction. Images show widened roads to facilitate the movement of armored vehicles, and destroyed buildings that the army claims housed armed hideouts.

These campaigns are redrawing the map of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with the West Bank — once envisioned as the foundation of a future Palestinian state — turning into an open confrontation zone.

While Israel insists it is fighting “terrorism,” Palestinians see it as a war for existence aimed at cementing permanent control. Amid escalating violence and the absence of a political solution, the outlook is darker than ever.