After a year of displacement, Tulkarm's Palestinians allowed home for two hours

What Happened

On Wednesday, 45 displaced families from Tulkarm refugee camp were granted two-hour access by the Israeli military to retrieve personal belongings left behind when they fled during Israel’s ‘Iron Wall’ operation, launched on 27 January 2025. The entry, coordinated through the Palestinian Civil Affairs Committee, involved body searches and confiscation of communication devices, which Faisal Salama, head of the Popular Committee in Tulkarm camp, condemned as humiliating. More than 10,000 residents were displaced from Tulkarm alone, and UNRWA estimates that 14 percent of the camp has been destroyed or severely damaged, with 1,100 housing units completely destroyed and 4,400 partially damaged. The brief visit did not mark a permanent return, and thousands of families remain barred from resettling.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The two-hour access underscores the prolonged displacement crisis in the occupied West Bank, where tens of thousands of Palestinians have been displaced by Operation Iron Wall since January 2025, with no timeline for return and extensive destruction of civilian housing and infrastructure. It highlights the transformation of refugee camps into military zones and the lack of durable solutions for affected civilians, potentially fuelling further unrest and complicating any future political settlement.

Watch For

Whether Israel grants further temporary access or permanent return for the displaced; reconstruction efforts and funding for destroyed camps; continued military operations in Tulkarm, Jenin, and Nur Shams; possible UNRWA or international statements; and any diplomatic initiatives addressing West Bank displacement.