ICSPR: Escalation of Israeli Crimes in the West Bank Coincides with the Ongoing Catastrophic Situation Resulting from the Genocidal War in Gaza

Date: 24 Feb 2025

Press Release

ICSPR: Escalation of Israeli Crimes in the West Bank Coincides with the Ongoing Catastrophic Situation Resulting from the Genocidal War in Gaza

The International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR) expresses its deep concern over the Israeli military escalation in the West Bank. On the evening of Sunday, February 23, 2025, the Israeli occupation army announced the expansion of its military operations as part of the “Iron Wall” campaign, which began on January 12.

According to monitoring, the occupation forces have moved their tanks into the Jenin area in the northern West Bank for the first time since the “Defensive Shield” operation in 2002. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the deployment of three additional battalions to the West Bank. Units from the Nahal Brigade and Duvdevan Unit have begun conducting military operations in various towns, particularly in Qabatiya, with intense gunfire and gas bombs. These operations, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, have resulted in the martyrdom of 61 Palestinians, along with extensive destruction of infrastructure and residential buildings.

Additionally, these military operations have led to the displacement of more than 40,000 Palestinians from the Jenin, Nur Shams, and Tulkarm refugee camps, which have become nearly empty of residents. This recalls the scenes of forced displacement witnessed in Gaza during the ongoing Israeli aggression, which falls within the occupation’s plan to annex the West Bank.

In parallel, the military escalation in the West Bank coincides with the worsening humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip, where the occupation continues to repeatedly violate the ceasefire agreement. The latest violations include the sniping of a Palestinian youth in Al-Sha’af Street, east of Gaza City, while inspecting his home, resulting in his martyrdom. Additionally, Israeli forces opened fire on a car in Rafah, leading to the martyrdom of one citizen and the injury of four others.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, hospitals have received ten martyrs in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll since October 7, 2023, to 48,339 martyrs and 111,753 injuries due to the ongoing Israeli aggression.

Amid this military escalation, the Israeli Prime Minister announced the postponement of the release of Palestinian prisoners within the seventh batch of the first-phase agreement. Meanwhile, the occupation authorities continue to stall the implementation of agreed-upon provisions, particularly regarding the entry of mobile homes (caravans) and humanitarian aid, hindering the completion of the prisoner exchange deal.

As the International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR) closely monitors Israel’s dangerous escalation in the West Bank, it reaffirms that this escalation is part of the occupation’s plans to complete its policies of ethnic cleansing, forced displacement, and the annexation of Palestinian land, with unlimited international support. Furthermore, ICSPR strongly condemns the continued Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement, which reflect the occupation’s intent to obstruct the deal and hinder the prisoner exchange process, increasing the likelihood of renewed aggression and further crimes against Palestinian civilians. Therefore, ICSPR records and demands the following:

1. ICSPR affirms that the International Court of Justice’s ruling in July 2024 determined that the Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is illegal, and Israel must immediately end this occupation, halt settlement activities, and evacuate all settlers from the occupied Palestinian territories.

2. ICSPR calls for the adoption of a unified national strategy that combines political and diplomatic struggle, based on the restoration of national unity in accordance with reconciliation agreements, particularly the Beijing Declaration.

3. ICSPR urges mediators and guarantor parties to assume their responsibilities in obliging Israel to fully comply with its commitments, halt its repeated violations of the ceasefire agreement, urgently implement the humanitarian protocol in all its provisions, and immediately begin negotiations for the second phase of the agreement.

4. ICSPR stresses the urgent need to intensify international efforts to hold Israel accountable for its ongoing crimes against the Palestinian people, ensure international justice, and end the suffering of Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank.

End.