Ramallah, Feb 4 The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) warned that the "shocking scenes in the West Bank undermine the ceasefire reached in Gaza and risk a new escalation."
In a press statement, the UNRWA said a series of controlled detonations by Israeli forces have completely destroyed large swathes of Jenin camp, noting that it had not received any prior warning about the demolitions, putting civilian lives at risk, Xinhua news agency reported.
"Residents of the camp have endured the impossible, facing nearly two months of unceasing and escalating violence. In the last months, Jenin camp has been rendered a ghost town," it added.
Earlier in the day, the Palestinian presidency condemned Israel's expansion of its "war" in the West Bank to displace Palestinians, warning of the dangerous consequences of such actions.
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesperson for the Palestinian presidency, warned that the ongoing Israeli "aggression" would lead to further escalation. He stressed that the Palestinian people would not accept any plan for displacement or an alternative homeland.
On January 21, the Israeli army launched a security operation called "Iron Wall" in Jenin, its refugee camp, and other areas of the northern West Bank, claiming it aimed to target armed militants and dismantle "terrorist" infrastructure.
Since then, 29 Palestinians have been killed, and residential blocks in the Jenin and Tulkarm camps have been demolished, Nabil Abu Rudeineh told Palestinian news agency WAFA.
Tulkarm Governor Abdullah Kamil announced in a press release on Monday that Israeli forces have forcibly displaced around 9,000 residents, or over 75 per cent of the population of the Tulkarm refugee camp.
The raid in Jenin and other places in the northern West Bank came only two days after a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel took effect in Gaza.
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