Jenin – One hundred days have passed since the launch of the Israeli military operation known as “Iron Wall” targeting the camps of northern West Bank—most notably the Jenin refugee camp. The operation continues without a declared end date and has, so far, displaced around 18,000 residents from the camp and neighboring areas while, according to WAFA, around 600 housing units have been destroyed and many more damaged. These people have been scattered across approximately 86 locations within the Jenin governorate and beyond, without being allowed to carry any of their belongings or necessities. This disaster of displacement has created an immense crisis that surpasses the capacity of even international institutions and states.
IPS conducted the following interview in April with Mr. Mohammed Al-Sabbagh, head of the Popular Services Committee in the camp, a former prisoner who spent 23 years in Israeli captivity, and a native of Jenin camp. He leads the committee that is at the forefront of managing this heavy burden and works tirelessly, day and night, alongside the committee members to provide aid and relief to the displaced.
The interview proceeded as follows:
After three months of displacement from Jenin camp and surrounding areas due to Israeli aggression, what is the current situation in numbers?
A total of 3,100 families from the camp have been displaced as a result of the Israeli assault—essentially the entire camp population. In addition, around 100 families from neighborhoods adjacent to the camp have also been displaced, bringing the total number of displaced persons to approximately 18,000. These individuals are now spread across 86 different locations, the largest being in the city of Jenin itself, where 1,300 families have rented private accommodations. Another 520 families reside in student housing around the Arab American University, with the Popular Services Committee covering rent costs—except for one residential building. The remaining displaced families are distributed among 84 other sites in Jenin’s villages, with the largest concentrations in Burqin, Qabatiya, Ya’bad, Yamun, and Silat al-Harithiya, as well as in two villages within the Nablus governorate.
What are the visible and invisible impacts of this displacement?
First of all, Jenin camp is one of the poorest areas in the West Bank. Its residents had the lowest incomes even before this new wave of displacement. The situation has now deteriorated further, with residents becoming people who possess nothing—no homes, no financial means, no personal belongings. This has had a deep psychological impact, especially given the pride and dignity of Jenin camp residents. They have long been seen as a symbol of sacrifice and resilience in the Palestinian national struggle—an example for others to follow. The displacement has added to their suffering. Most have lost their sources of income, whether from local jobs or employment across the Green Line. They are now enduring a compounded state of pain and deprivation. Even their children and students are suffering from a sense of alienation and instability due to the forced relocations. It is a situation of profound suffering on every level.
The Jenin camp falls under UNRWA’s responsibility. How do you assess the agency’s role in this crisis?
Mohammed Al-Sabbagh: UNRWA’s role has been weak so far, largely due to the financial siege it faces and the reduction of its budget—since it relies on funding from donor countries. To be fair, the agency did provide an initial sum of 1,640 shekels ($450) to each displaced family at the start of the crisis. More recently, it began steps to transfer 1,000 shekels ($275) monthly to each displaced family for three months, after allocating $4 million in aid for displaced persons in Jenin and Tulkarem.
In addition, the Popular Services Committee in Jenin camp secured a commitment from another organization to provide $500,000 to the displaced from Jenin camp and its surroundings. This will be distributed as 700 shekels ($193) per family, per month, over three months. Both the UNRWA (1,000 shekels) and organizational (700 shekels) payments are expected to be distributed soon.
What role has the Palestinian government played in this crisis?
The government’s handling of the crisis has been weak and continues to lack coherence. It failed to grasp the nature of the situation and its urgent needs. Our disagreement with the government is also over the mechanisms it employed to address the crisis, including the committees it formed to manage it—which resulted in significant confusion.
From the outset, we (as the committee) presented an assessment of needs and priorities, recommending that the government provide 1,000 shekels per displaced family and establish shelters or mobile homes that meet minimum standards of dignified living.
The government’s response was partial. It expressed a willingness to establish shelters using mobile homes, but this would take several months—failing to provide an immediate solution. It also abandoned the idea of giving 1,000 shekels to each displaced family.
Regarding the mobile homes, the government said it plans to distribute 200 units to displaced families in Jenin and Tulkarem, split equally. That means just 100 mobile homes for Jenin, to be distributed across three areas in western Jenin on May 26. This plan is unfeasible—it neither solves the problem nor serves the majority of displaced families, given the low number of units and the scattered, limited nature of the distribution.
The occupation is implementing its plans openly and with clear objectives—aimed at erasing the refugee issue by dismantling the camps and scattering their residents, as well as undermining the Palestinian Authority. So why doesn’t the Palestinian government mobilize all its resources to confront this plan? Why not respond to this crisis with the urgency it deserves—at the very least—especially when it claims to support the steadfastness of Palestinians and resist forced displacement?
What do you anticipate for the future of this displacement crisis in the coming weeks and months?
It will be difficult… We’ve just been through three tough months, including the month of Ramadan. During that time, various organizations provided a lot of aid to the displaced, but Ramadan has passed and those institutions are now exhausted. If official entities—namely the government and UNRWA—do not step up in the needed way, the situation will worsen.
As a committee, we’re currently paying 150,000–170,000 shekels ($41,400-$47,000) each month just for the rent of one housing site alone—the student dorms at the Arab American University. We do not have the resources to continue meeting these financial obligations. The situation is very difficult—extremely difficult.
This interview was translated into English by Jehad Abusalim
