Israel on Monday demolished houses and cleared a wide roadway through the Nur Shams refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.
This is part of weeks of operation against militant groups that have forced tens of thousands of Palestinians from their homes.
The operation, taking place during a fragile ceasefire in Gaza that has halted fighting there for the past six weeks, has emptied some of the largest refugee camps in the northern West Bank. Some Palestinians view this as a trial run for broader clearances in the future.
Nur Shams, located outside the city of Tulkarm, is the latest camp to be virtually emptied of its inhabitants, following similar operations in the volatile city of Jenin to the east and a separate camp within Tulkarm itself.
Bulldozers have reportedly been clearing a broad roadway through the area where houses once stood to facilitate access for military vehicles, as part of one of the Israeli military’s most extensive operations in the West Bank in years.
The head of the Nur Shams camp services committee, Nihad al-Shawish, said that of the usual population of approximately 13,000, almost none remain inside the main camp.
“There were about 3,000 people left in the camp, and as of today, they have all left. There are still some people just outside on the outskirts, but there is no one left in the camp,” he said.
The Israeli military has previously stated that its operation aims to root out fighters from Iranian-backed militant groups, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which have established strongholds in the camps of the northern West Bank.