For almost three months, Jenin refugee camp has been completely devoid of its inhabitants, with only Israeli soldiers and tanks able to enter. After expelling the camp’s 20,000 residents in January as part of what it calls “Operation Iron Wall,” the Israeli army has violently prevented their return. Even families who tried to visit the graves of their loved ones during Eid Al-Fitr in late March were chased away with tear gas.

Israel claims the operation is designed to eliminate resistance fighters and reinforce Israeli security in the area. But there has been no armed resistance since the army displaced the population, and Israel has set no time frame for its ongoing operation in the camp, leaving residents in a state of uncertainty.

After fleeing their homes under Israeli fire, residents are now sheltering with relatives and friends, in community centers and wedding halls, or trying to find alternative accommodation in the city. And they have no idea when — or if — they will be permitted to return.

“We were forced out of our homes without any warning,” 63-year-old Mona Obeid recounted to +972. “We didn’t have a chance to take anything with us — not even clothes. We have no idea what’s happening inside the camp. We rely on a few images and videos taken by journalists who managed to sneak in, searching for any glimpse that might show us what happened to our homes and neighborhoods.”

What can be gleaned from those images is the extent of the destruction that the Israeli military has wrought in the camp in order to make it more accessible to its own vehicles. The army has detonated entire residential blocks and bulldozed narrow streets and alleyways, while also installing more surveillance cameras and building new military watchtowers.

Jenin’s mayor, Mohammad Jarrar, told +972 that the Israeli army has repeatedly obstructed efforts by the local authorities to repair damaged infrastructure inside the camp. “Every time we attempted to repair the main water, sewage, and electricity lines, they were destroyed again in less than 24 hours,” he said.

Israel’s attempt to re-engineer the space appears to be a direct response to the fact that the camp’s topography is deeply intertwined with its resistance to the occupation. Its network of alleys, houses, neighborhoods, and streets have enabled quick movement and hit-and-run tactics, while providing effective cover from drone surveillance. Gaps were even created in the walls of homes to allow resistance fighters to evade detection and launch surprise attacks when Israeli soldiers raid the camp.

There is also a political aspect to Israel’s desire to turn the camp into a “normal” neighborhood. The widespread use of corrugated metal sheets in its construction, rather than the traditional brickwork seen in other urban areas, reflects the enduring belief among residents that their housing is temporary — and that one day, they will return to their original towns and villages inside Israel from which they were expelled 77 years ago by Zionist militias.

According to reports in the Israeli media, the military’s operation in Jenin is a pilot that it is preparing to roll out in the 18 other refugee camps across the West Bank should any of them “operate in a manner similar to Jenin camp.” And the army appears to want to eliminate their distinctive character in an effort, at least symbolically, to abolish the right of return.

“The occupation has repeatedly threatened to demolish the camp, but this was limited to threats and media statements,” Mohammad Al-Sabbagh, head of the camp’s popular committee, told +972. “However, with the latest operation, we are witnessing these threats becoming a reality for the first time. 

“Israeli forces are following a clear strategy on the ground to empty the camp of its residents and merge it into the city,” he continued. “The longer this process continues, the clearer it becomes that displaced residents are being pushed to accept these new conditions as if they were permanent.”

Since October 7, residents have been forced to flee their homes in the camp on multiple occasions, but never for this long and at such a scale. Repeated Israeli incursions — accompanied by intense aerial bombardment — have destroyed essential infrastructure and led to the collapse of basic services, forcing residents to become accustomed to seeking refuge outside the camp.

“We have a room at a relative’s house in the village of Kafr Dan where we go whenever there’s an invasion,” camp resident Mahasen Hassan, 43, told +972. “Each of us keeps a travel bag packed with essentials beside us as we sleep — just in case.”

Now, Hassan is struggling to adapt to life outside the camp where she was born and raised, and to the cramped conditions in the room where she and her four children are sheltering. She often finds herself staring at a map published by the Israeli army on which her home is marked in red, signaling its imminent demolition. “When will we finally put down this cursed travel bag and return home?” she wondered.

The camp’s geographic integration with the city and its surrounding neighborhoods has cultivated a strong sense of political and social unity throughout Jenin. City-wide general strikes have repeatedly been organized whenever the camp faced a siege or when a resident was killed by Israeli forces. After the start of Israel’s latest invasion in January, the city’s main market was shut for over a month in solidarity with the camp, but it eventually re-opened due to the length of Israel’s ongoing operation and the economic burden that the strike placed on residents.

Still, many residents remain committed to the strikes. A shop owner in the city, who preferred to remain anonymous, told +972: “I can’t see what’s happening in the camp as being disconnected from us. We can’t get used to seeing military tanks and jeeps becoming a normal part of daily life in the city.”