Tulkarm: Israeli occupation forces continued their series of home demolitions in the Tulkarm refugee camp, marking the 162nd consecutive day of military actions in the camp and nearby city.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, Israeli army bulldozers demolished residential buildings in the al-Murabba'a neighborhood, leaving them in ruins.
The demolition is part of a strategic plan targeting 104 residential buildings, affecting about 400 houses within the camp. Meanwhile, Adalah, a legal center advocating for Arab minority rights in Israel, reported that the occupation forces disclosed their plans for extensive demolition orders in the camp to the Israeli Supreme Court on 6 July 2025.
The announcement followed an amended Supreme Court decision from 3 July, which altered an initial freeze on demolition orders issued on 2 July. This freeze was in response to an urgent petition filed by Adalah on behalf of 11 Palestinian camp residents. The amended decision allows demolitions under claims of 'urgent combat needs or overriding security considerations,' thereby granting the military significant leeway and diminishing judicial oversight.
The Israeli military argues that the demolitions are necessary for restructuring the camp to ensure 'operational freedom of movement.' However, they stated that they currently do not plan to demolish the four buildings where the petitioners reside, which Adalah has argued against with expert opinions from Bimkom - Planners for Planning Rights.
Adalah has challenged the military's justification, asserting no combat activities are ongoing and that most residents have vacated the camp, making claims of urgent necessity unfounded. They argue that the demolition orders strip residents of their rights, including the right to be heard, leaving them without any avenue to contest the orders either through military or civil judicial systems.
Adalah has also sought permission to submit an expanded expert opinion to the court, highlighting the short timeline of the military's demolition order issued on 30 June. This expanded opinion will provide a detailed factual analysis, scrutinizing the military's rationale for the demolitions in the densely-populated camp. It will also address the far-reaching impacts of these actions and examine the damage to the camp's physical and social fabric, asserting that the orders aim to redesign the camp without valid justification.
Source: Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA
