Israeli forces launched a large-scale military operation in Qalandiya refugee camp in the occupied West Bank in the early hours of Wednesday, detaining at least 20 young Palestinian men and forcing families from their homes, according to local Palestinian sources. The Israeli army said the operation was aimed at "thwarting terrorist activities" and arresting wanted individuals, with the coordinator of Israeli government activities in the Palestinian territories, Yoram Halevi, vowing that the camp would not become "a hotbed or haven for terrorists and criminals."
Qalandiya is a Palestinian refugee camp located just north of Jerusalem, home to more than 16,000 residents. Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967. The spokesperson for the camp's popular committee, Mohammed Aslan, told reporters that Israeli forces entered the camp shortly after 1 a.m. in what he described as an unprecedented incursion, deploying around 1,000 soldiers and 100 military vehicles. Families were evicted from their homes, which were then converted into military barracks and field interrogation points. The Palestinian Red Crescent said its teams had treated several injuries since the operation began.
Reports from inside the camp described structures near the separation wall along Airport Street being demolished, along with shops that had reportedly received prior demolition notices. One Palestinian resident whose home was taken over as an interrogation site said soldiers beat him, destroyed his belongings, and ordered him to leave with his family of nine and not return until Sunday. Footage released by the Ramallah-based Jerusalem governorate showed narrow camp alleyways blocked by earthen barriers and the damaged contents of a raided home.
The operation carries a broader backdrop that residents find deeply alarming. In 2023, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu advanced plans to build a settlement of some 9,000 housing units on the site of the former Qalandiya airport, which sits adjacent to the camp. Since then, many camp residents have feared that raids and demolitions may be connected to a gradual displacement strategy ahead of settlement construction — though Israeli authorities have made no official statement linking the two.
The scale and timing of Wednesday's operation mark a significant escalation in Israeli military activity in the West Bank, which has seen intensified raids across multiple refugee camps over recent years. For Qalandiya's residents, the uncertainty over their future — caught between recurring military incursions and the looming spectre of settlement expansion — has deepened an already precarious situation.