ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The Israeli government’s forced displacement of refugees from camps in the occupied West Bank amounts to war crimes and crimes against humanity, Human Rights Watch said on Thursday, calling for investigations against top officials, including the premier and defense minister. 

“Israeli authorities in early 2025 forcibly removed 32,000 Palestinians from their homes in West Bank refugee camps without regard to international legal protections and have not permitted them to return,” said Nadia Hardman, the HRW’s senior refugee and migrant rights researcher. “Israeli forces have carried out war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing in the West Bank that should be investigated and prosecuted.”

The watchdog interviewed 31 displaced Palestinian refugees from the three camps and analyzed satellite imagery and Israeli demolition orders, which it said confirmed “the widespread destruction.” Researchers also analyzed and verified videos and photographs of Israeli military operations.

“The Israeli military provided no shelter or humanitarian assistance to displaced residents. Many sought shelter in the crowded homes of relatives or friends, or turned to mosques, schools, and charities,” HRW said.

The report cited a 54-year-old woman who recalled that Israeli soldiers raiding her home “were yelling and throwing things everywhere…. It was like a movie scene – some had masks and they were carrying all kinds of weapons. One of the soldiers said, ‘You don’t have a house here anymore. You need to leave.’”

Since the raids, Israeli authorities have denied residents access to the camps, even though there were no military operations in the vicinity. Israeli soldiers have fired on people trying to return home, the watchdog said, adding that the Israeli military has bulldozed, razed, and cleared spaces for wider access to the camps while blocking entrances.

The United Nations’ agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) established three camps in the early 1950s to house Palestinians who were expelled from their homes or forced to flee after the creation of the Israeli state in 1948. 

The Israel-Hamas war - triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel - has killed over 68,000 people, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Around half are believed to be women and children.

Israel has also continued attacks, which have killed civilians during the ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump as part of his 20-point plan.

According to an AFP tally, Hamas’ October 7 attacks killed 1,221 people, most of whom were civilians.

Since the October 7 attacks, HRW said Israeli forces have killed nearly 1,000 Palestinians in the West Bank. They have also increased administrative detentions without trial or charges.

HRW also called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate Israeli officials credibly implicated, including as a matter of command responsibility, in the crimes in the West Bank. The officials include Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz. 

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) and Turkey have both issued arrest warrants against Netanyahu for crimes against humanity.

“Israel’s escalating abuses in the West Bank underscore why governments, despite the fragile ceasefire in Gaza, should urgently act to prevent Israeli authorities from escalating their repression of Palestinians,” Hardman said. “They should impose targeted sanctions on Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Katz, and other senior officials responsible for grave crimes against Palestinians and enforce all International Criminal Court warrants.”

The Israeli state has rejected genocide accusations at the ICJ during a public hearing in The Hague, noting Israel’s measures are to protect its citizens following the October 7 incident.

Israel and the US have boycotted the UN Human Rights Council, accusing it of anti-Semitism and bias against the Israeli state.