Gaza: According to report on April 20, 2025, hundreds of Palestinians who were displaced by force due to the ongoing Israeli military siege of the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank have taken sanctuary at the Arab American University campus in Jenin.
The siege began on January 21 and has led to severe damage to civilian infrastructure. According to Mohammed Shalabi, a 53-year-old municipal worker sheltering at the university, “everyone knows that when the army enters, it destroys the infrastructure, even the cars.” Like many others, he tries to shield his elderly father from the emotional toll of the violence, although his father—an 80-year-old who lived through the 1948 Nakba.. still silently grieves, understanding that history is repeating itself for their family and others.
The displacement from Jenin is part of a broader pattern of raids and attacks across the West Bank since the escalation of the Gaza war in October 2023. Israeli forces have regularly stormed refugee camps, arrested Palestinians, and destroyed homes and utilities under the justification of targeting armed groups. But critics and human rights organizations argue the operations amount to collective punishment.
With many displaced families now taking shelter in educational institutions like the Arab American University, the humanitarian situation is growing more precarious. Essential services are strained, and residents are left in uncertainty, fearing both the next wave of destruction and the long-term effects of a deepening occupation.
[SOURCE: AL JAZEERA ]
