Israel's expulsion of Palestinians from West Bank in violation of int'l law: UN report

Israel's forcible displacement of entire Palestinian populations in three refugee camps from the occupied West Bank in January and February 2025 is in violation of international law, according to a UN Human Rights report published on Friday.

The report, titled "Destruction of Palestinian refugee camps in northern West Bank", says Israeli forces deployed as part of the ongoing "Operation Iron Wall" killed civilians, destroyed hundreds of homes, damaged roads and other infrastructure, cut off water and electricity, and barred humanitarian access into the Jenin, Nur Shams, and Tulkarm refugee camps, and went door to door to force residents to leave.

On Feb 23, 2025, the Israeli defense minister ordered the Israeli military to remain in the three camps and said Palestinians who were displaced from them would not be allowed to return. As of July this year, about 33,362 displaced Palestine refugees from these camps remained forcibly displaced, according to United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

The latest UN report emphasizes that the Israeli operation has caused large-scale, long-term and systematic displacement of over 33,000 Palestinians in the region, with some 102 Palestinians, including 21 children killed by Israeli forces.

The Israeli military operation to expel Palestinians from the West Bank is in serious violation of international law, raising concerns of ethnic cleansing, the report noted, urging Israel to end its 59-year occupation of Palestinian territory and halt any efforts to forcibly displace more Palestinians.

Israel's expulsion of Palestinians from West Bank in violation of int'l law: UN report

International media on Saturday and Sunday visited the core disaster area of mudslide-hit Gyirong Port on the China-Nepal border in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region.

The reporters from the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Brazil among other countries and regions visited the area and learned about the disaster situation, ongoing rescue operations, and progress in recovery and reconstruction.

"China has this particular the capacity to address this kind of crisis. You have thousands of workers trained for this and you have machines made for this kind of efforts. And of course, our heart goes to them for the kind of work they are putting," said KJM Varma Mokanda, a reporter from Press Trust of India.

The mudslide, triggered by a high-altitude glacier collapse in Nepal on Aug 26, had left 43 people dead and 519 others missing at the border port as of 18:00 Saturday, the emergency response and rescue headquarters told a press conference on Sunday.

As of 18:00 Saturday, more than 2,500 people and over 500 vehicles had been deployed for the rescue, and more than 1,000 flights of drones had air-dropped 5.43 tons of supplies, officials said at the press conference.

International media visit mudslide-hit Gyirong Port