Israeli assault renders West Bank’s Nur Shams refugee camp ‘uninhabitable’, says official

Record ID: 1968511

  • Title: Israeli assault renders West Bank’s Nur Shams refugee camp ‘uninhabitable’, says official
  • Date: 28th March 2025
  • Summary: Israeli assault renders West Bank’s Nur Shams refugee camp ‘uninhabitable’, says official SHOTLIST TULKARM, WEST BANK, PALESTINE (MARCH 27, 2025) (ANADOLU-ACCESS ALL) 1. WIDE SHOT OF NUR SHAMS REFUGEE CAMP 2. WIDE SHOT OF BULLDOZER BEING DEMOLISHING HOME (2 SHOTS) 3. ISRAELI MILITARY VEHICLE AND BULLDOZERS ON ROAD 4. VARIOUS OF RESIDENTS WALKING THROUGH RUBBLE 5. BULLDOZER SHOVELING SOIL 6. BULLDOZERS DRIVING 7. DESTROYED HOME 8. WIDE SHOT OF PALESTINIAN RED CRESCENT WORKERS AND RESIDENTS ON RUBBLE 9. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEAD OF NUR SHAMS CAMP’S POPULAR COMMITTEE, NIHAD AL-SHAWISH SAYING: The situation for displaced individuals in Nur Shams camp, as well as in Jenin or Tulkarem, is extremely difficult. The camp is completely destroyed, with no infrastructure, devastated electricity, ruined streets, and homes that are either burned or looted by the occupation forces.” 10. WHITE FLASH 11. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEAD OF NUR SHAMS CAMP’S POPULAR COMMITTEE, NIHAD AL-SHAWISH SAYING: “The occupation is looting everything inside our homes. What is needed in this crisis, as we always say, is to provide shelter for the people.” 12. WHITE FLASH 13. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEAD OF NUR SHAMS CAMP’S POPULAR COMMITTEE, NIHAD AL-SHAWISH SAYING: “Today, we want to provide dignified shelter and quickly meet the basic needs of the people. Initially, some of these people have been taken in by relatives, neighbors, or could afford to rent for a month or two. But afterward, a significant crisis regarding housing will arise. Providing shelter doesn't mean we accept the status quo. It means it's a temporary phase until people can return to the camp and rebuild.” 14. WHITE FLASH 15. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEAD OF NUR SHAMS CAMP’S POPULAR COMMITTEE, NIHAD AL-SHAWISH SAYING: “The camp is not the goal. It is a means for the larger goal of returning to our homeland from 1948, for the right of return, self-determination, and establishing our state. This is what we displaced people demand. We don't ask for miracles. We ask to live with dignity, to shelter the people with dignity, to meet their needs, be it clothing, baby formula, or any food item.” 16. WHITE FLASH 17. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEAD OF NUR SHAMS CAMP’S POPULAR COMMITTEE, NIHAD AL-SHAWISH SAYING: “The situation inside the camp is dire. No one is inside the camp and if anyone returns, the army either shoots at them or threatens them not to come back.” 18. WHITE FLASH 19. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEAD OF NUR SHAMS CAMP’S POPULAR COMMITTEE, NIHAD AL-SHAWISH SAYING: "Every house inside the Nur Shams camp is uninhabitable. It is either burned, destroyed, or partially damaged. Every house in the camp has been attacked and destroyed; there is no house that has not had its windows and doors broken, or been blown up from the inside with its contents vandalized." 20. WHITE FLASH 21. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEAD OF NUR SHAMS CAMP’S POPULAR COMMITTEE, NIHAD AL-SHAWISH SAYING: "After the occupation forces leave a house, sometimes they deliberately set it on fire. They leave the stoves running, or they leave the gas on, so that the house will burn.” SCRIPT: The Nur Shams Refugee Camp in the northern occupied West Bank has been rendered "uninhabitable" due to sustained Israeli military operations, according to Nihad Al-Shawish, head of the camp’s Popular Committee. In an interview with an Anadolu correspondent on Thursday, Mar. 27, Al-Shawish stated that months of Israeli raids have devastated the camp’s infrastructure, forcing residents to flee and leaving the area effectively deserted. "The situation for displaced people in Nur Shams, as well as in Jenin and Tulkarm, is extremely difficult," Shawish said. "The camp is completely destroyed, with no infrastructure, devastated electricity, ruined streets, and homes that are either burned or looted by the occupation forces." He accused Israeli troops of systematically looting homes and deliberately causing further destruction. "After the occupation forces leave a house, sometimes they deliberately set it on fire. They leave the stoves running, or they leave the gas on," Al-Shawish claimed. Before the military offensive, the camp housed around 8,500 people. Now, Shawish said, it is entirely empty, with those attempting to return facing gunfire or threats from Israeli forces. "Every house inside the Nur Shams camp is uninhabitable. It is either burned, destroyed, or partially damaged…There is no house that has not had its windows and doors broken, or been blown up from the inside with its contents vandalized," he added. Since July 2023, the Israeli army has conducted over 60 operations in the Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps, demolishing dozens of homes in Nur Shams alone, according to Al-Shawish. He also drew parallels to Gaza, where Palestinian authorities reported in January that Israeli soldiers had stolen $25 million worth of gold and cash during raids. Al-Shawish warned of an impending shelter crisis, as displaced families—initially taken in by relatives or renting temporarily—face long-term uncertainty. "Providing shelter doesn't mean we accept the status quo. It means it's a temporary phase until people can return to the camp and rebuild," he stressed. "The camp is not the goal. It is a means for the larger goal of returning to our homeland from 1948, for the right of return, self-determination, and establishing our state." He called for urgent humanitarian aid, including shelter, food, and basic necessities, emphasizing that displaced residents "don’t ask for miracles—only to live with dignity." The Israeli army has continued a deadly offensive in the northern West Bank since Jan. 21, killing at least 70 people and displacing thousands. Tension has been running high across the West Bank, where at least 938 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 7,000 others injured in attacks by the Israeli army and illegal settlers since the start of the Gaza war on Oct. 7, 2023, according to the Health Ministry. In July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s longstanding occupation of Palestinian territories illegal, calling for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Writing by Sibel Uygun
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