Israeli forces have ordered Palestinian families out of their homes in the Jabriyat neighbourhood of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, converting the properties into military positions. At least 15 families have been forced from their homes in the area since the Israeli military assault on Jenin began. The orders, issued this week, follow more than a year of large-scale displacement across northern West Bank refugee camps.
Mohammed Rahal had already lost his home once. The Palestinian father spent a year and a half displaced after the Israeli army forced him from his home in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. He scraped together enough money to buy a house on the edge of the camp. Then, on Tuesday, soldiers came to the door again.
This time, they told him he had to leave so the house could be used as a military outpost for the next two months. Following discussions with the family, the soldiers extended the deadline until Thursday morning.
“Sometimes I worked 20 hours a day preparing the house,” Rahal told Middle East Eye. “I was hoping for stability and peace after the hardship of displacement.”
Rahal spent the next two days hurriedly removing furniture and belongings he had spent weeks buying and arranging. He can now only wait for the military order to expire on 23 August and hope to be allowed to return — though he holds little confidence in that outcome.
“Even though the order is for two months, the occupation is unpredictable,” he said. “They could extend the takeover for another period, and then another, until the house is seized permanently.”
Expanding Footprint
The Israeli military’s use of civilian homes as military positions has become increasingly common in the occupied West Bank. The practice has intensified since October 2023 alongside Israel’s escalating crackdown across the territory.
The Jabriyat neighbourhood overlooks Jenin refugee camp, making it strategically valuable to Israeli forces and increasingly vulnerable to home seizures. Residents say soldiers are not just occupying individual houses — they believe the army is preparing to establish a permanent military camp on land it recently confiscated between the properties.
The property where Rahal now lives sits on the edge of a seven-dunum plot of land that Israel seized in May, despite it being located in Area A under the Oslo Accords, an area officially administered by the Palestinian Authority.
Next door, Fidaa Abu al-Haija received an identical expulsion order. Her situation is more precarious. She lives in the home with her three children while her husband has been imprisoned by Israel for nearly four years. A similar expulsion order was also issued for the nearby home of her brother-in-law, Abdel Salam, who has been imprisoned for more than four years, and his family of four must leave as well.
Even before the latest order, Abu al-Haija said soldiers frequently raided the house during the assault on Jenin, frightening her children and leaving rooms damaged. Much of the furniture is now unusable.
With her husband’s family home inside Jenin camp already destroyed, she said she has nowhere to go. Speaking to Middle East Eye as workers removed furniture from her home, she described scrambling for a rental property while trying to protect what little remained.
“The furniture is piled up outside because I want to save it before it’s destroyed,” she said. “We’ve been living through this tragic situation for more than a year.”
‘A Ghost Town’
Mu’tasim Istaiti lives nearby and fears his home could be next. His family spent more than a year displaced after soldiers occupied their house during the assault on the camp. He later returned in an attempt to protect it.
“Since we came back, it feels like we’re living in a ghost town,” he told Middle East Eye. “All we hear are military vehicles. This used to be a vibrant neighbourhood. Now it’s almost deserted.”
The army has also blocked the main access road with barbed wire, forcing residents onto a rough alternative route. Istaiti rarely allows his children to leave the house alone.
“We know staying here is dangerous, but we want to protect our homes until the very last moment,” he said.
Mayor: 800 Families Displaced Across Jenin City
Mohammad Jarrar, mayor of Jenin, said Jabriyat is one of the city’s largest neighbourhoods, home to around 10,000 Palestinians. He said Israeli restrictions have prevented municipal crews from reaching some neighbourhoods near the camp to provide basic services.
In one area, a damaged sewage pipe has flooded streets and created a health hazard, but municipal workers have been unable to access the site.
“We fear the displacement of these families will become permanent,” Jarrar told Middle East Eye. “The occupation appears intent on displacing as many residents as possible out of the neighbourhoods surrounding the camp.”
According to the municipality, around 800 families have now been displaced from neighbourhoods across Jenin city, excluding the refugee camp itself.
“Even those who remain are being pressured through the withholding of services,” Jarrar added. “The aim is to make life so difficult that people leave on their own.”
Regional and Legal Context
In early 2025, the Israeli army launched a large-scale offensive in Jenin, Tulkarm and Tubas. The operation devastated refugee camps across the northern West Bank, with homes demolished, burned or requisitioned by soldiers. Nearly 40,000 Palestinians were displaced, most of them from Jenin refugee camp.
Human rights groups and experts have accused Israel of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing in the West Bank assault. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and United Nations Special Rapporteurs have each issued formal findings or warnings tied to the operation. Israel has not responded publicly to the specific home-seizure orders reported this week.
The seizures in Jabriyat represent an expansion of the military’s reach beyond the refugee camp and into established residential areas of Jenin city — a distinction that Jarrar and residents say marks an escalation in scope.
What Happens Next
Rahal’s military expulsion order is set to expire on 23 August, at which point he expects — though cannot confirm — that he will be permitted to return to his home. Residents believe the Israeli army is preparing to establish a military camp on the land it recently confiscated between the houses, and many fear the takeover will spread beyond a handful of properties and eventually encompass the entire neighbourhood. The Jenin municipality said it will continue attempting to restore basic services to residents who remain in areas adjacent to the camp. No formal legal challenge to the seizure orders has been announced as of the time of publication.
